LHC special bench to hear Maryam Nawaz’s passport-return plea tomorrow

LAHORE: A Lahore High Court (LHC) special division bench would hear a petition of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz for the return of her passport on Wednesday.

Maryam has sought return of her passport, so she could travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. She had surrendered her passport before the court when allowed post-arrest bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case on Nov 4, 2019. The bench had ordered her to surrender passport to prove bona fide as the NAB feared she could flee the country.

Notably, the hearing of the case was due today but two judges had recused from hearing the petition.

A bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Farooq Haider had issued notices in Maryam Nawaz’s petition on Monday, however, Justice Haider recused himself from the matter when the petition came for hearing on Tuesday.

Later, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti constituted a bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural to hear the petition. However, Justice Ghural also recused himself from the matter when the bench assembled to take up the petition.

Now, a division bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem would hear the petition on Wednesday.

The other day, Advocate Ahsan Bhoon, on behalf of Maryam Nawaz, argued before the bench that the petitioner wanted to perform Umrah in the last days of Ramazan.

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