Islamabad, Nov 27: A National Accountability Court (NAB) has reportedly fixed December 5 as the date for hearing the corruption cases against former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif in Rawalpindi.

“Nawaz Sharif may appear before the court when the Rawalpindi Accountability Court No 4 takes up one of the cases in the first week of the coming month,” a PML-N leader said.

Deputy Prosecutor General Zulfiqar Bhutta said the cases against the Sharifs were activated in August this year before Nawaz Sharif made his failed attempt to return to Pakistan from exile on September 10.

Interestingly, the warrants of arrest issued against Sharif before his September 10 landing in Islamabad are still valid, and Sharif can be arrested if the NAB wanted, The News reported.

”I have no idea whether NAB chairman has withdrawn the arrest warrants or not,” Bhutta said.

“The arrest warrants are valid though there is no sign of any action against the Sharifs after their return on Sunday, and so far the warrants have not been served,” another NAB official said.

“Neither have we been asked to pursue these warrants nor to withdraw them,” the official added.

There are three cases against the Sharif brothers and their families, which do not fall under the ambit of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), as all these were established after 1999.

The cases pertain to the Hudaibia paper mills, Ittefaq Foundry and illegal assets in Raiwind and were registered in 2000. Nine persons were nominated in the Hudaibia paper mills case. They are late Mian Muhammad Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, widow of Mian Muhammad Sharif, Mian Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, Sabiha Abbas wife of Mian Abbas Sharif and Mariam Safdar. (ANI)