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Court may provide counsel to Nawaz, says Sindh AG

ISLAMABAD: Sindh Advocate General Raja Qureshi has said the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) would arrange defence counsel for deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif at State expense if his own lawyers left him.

"Lawyers would be selected on his choice and he (Nawaz) could hire another lawyer if desires so," he told BBC.

Qureshi said the court has not barred him from delivering statement adding, "The court could only scrutinise the statement if he says something against the country's security".

The AG Sindh made it clear that no one has stopped Nawaz Sharif, the main accused in plane conspiracy case, from statement.

To a question, Qureshi said when Ejaz Batalvi was the prosecutor in late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto case, he had advocate for in-camera proceedings.

"So proceedings were held in-camera and were sealed," he added.

The Attorney General he said here the court has not barred the accused from recording statement. The court will decide only to censer that parts which would be harmful for integrity of the country and added, "It is up to them to boycott of the case."

Qureshi said that the legal team representing the accused used the word "boycott" to impress the international community.

"The world community and the international press would be impressed if the word boycott is used."

However, the word 'boycott' in criminal jurisprudence is very foreign to the criminal jurisprudence, he added.

To a question, Qureshi thought that Nawaz Sharif may deliver such statements which could harm national security and dignity.

The Sindh Attorney General clarified that he neither opposed their statements nor said that they could not record statements adding, "I said they should deliver any statement. But the court must certify whether or no it is for public consumption. APP