Al-Azizia, Flagship references: What exactly is open court
The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the open trial of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
(WebDesk) – After being declared as convicts and being sentenced to 10 and 7 years in Jail respectively, former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz flew to Pakistan on 13th July 2018 to give in to the authorities and commence their time in the famous Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam flew to Pakistan to face the charges against them. Photo: File
In the latest development concerning the duo, the federal cabinet has collectively reversed an earlier order, paving the way for former Prime Minister and his daughter to attend court hearings outside the jail. The caretaker cabinet withdrew the notification for jail trials of the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship references.
Also Read: Federal cabinet approves open trial of Nawaz, Maryam in Al-Azizia, Flagship references
Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retd) Nasirul Mulk presided over the cabinet session at PM House on Wednesday. The withdrawal of the notification paves the ways for the remaining cases against former PM Nawaz Sharif to be heard in an ‘open court’.
What exactly is Open Court?
Following the new decision, Pakistanis have been asking the same question all around: What exactly is open court? To answer this, here is an explanation of what it actually means in legal terminology.
According to senior anchorperson and legal expert, Habib Akram, "open court is the conduct of judicial proceedings in the presence of the public. In some cases the public is prohibited from witnessing the hearing since the proceedings are carried out inside the chambers of the respective judge. However, since the Nawaz Sharif case is a high profile one, the venue of the court has been changed, at the last minute, to inside the Jail where media reporting would be a very difficult task."
The Al Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Reference cases that were filed against the Sharifs will be adjourned by the judges in the second form of open trial that would be done under the supervision of the media.
By: Raacikh Asghar
