New twist in Shehbaz Sharif bail saga

The computer system of the Lahore High Court (LHC) which since April 14 was showing "allowed" now shows "disposed" instead. On Wednesday, a two-member bench of the LHC, comprising Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Asjad Javed Ghural, briefly reserved judgement before a court bailiff announced that bail is granted. However, since then, a simple matter of bail has become increasingly complicated.

Shehbaz Sharif's lawyers were not given written orders on Wednesday or Thursday. Later it emerged that Justice Ghural had not signed the bail order.

Rumors have abound that LHC will now allow a third judge to decide whether the bail is approved or denied. Chief Justice LHC Qasim Khan is expected to nominate the third judge in a few days. Both the judges on the previous bench are now presiding separately over Multan and Bahawalpur benches.

Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, has been in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) custody since September 28, 2020. He has seeked bail in a money laundering case.