ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday said it was giving former prime minister Nawaz Sharif one more chance to “surrender" and appear before the court on September 10 at the next hearing of a case involving corrupt practices linked to his family’s purchase of upscale London flats.

Last November, Sharif flew to the UK in an air ambulance for medical treatment, a month after he was released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence.

Sharif, who has dominated Pakistani politics for three decades, denies the corruption charges, claiming they are politically motivated.

An IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said the court was not declaring Nawaz an absconder and was giving him "one more chance to surrender."

Nawaz's counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed said that the former prime minister could not return to the country due to the coronavirus pandemic, and complained that the Punjab government had rejected medical documents submitted before them and an application seeking an extension in bail.

“He will return to the country once his treatment is complete," his lawyer said about Sharif. 

Maryam Nawaz, Sharif’s daughter, and her husband, retired captain Mohammad Safdar, also appeared before the court in a corruption case. 

“No one would want to stay away from the country at this age,” Maryam Nawaz told reporters and supporters outside the court on Tuesday. “[Nawaz Sharif's] treatment is ongoing but was delayed due to the coronavirus.”

She added that she wanted her father to complete his medical treatment and not come back to Pakistan: "[But] knowing his condition, I can say with certainty he will not stay away from Pakistan."

Sharif has previously lived in exile in Saudi Arabia for seven years after being toppled by the Pakistan military in 2000.

His third term as prime minister ran from 2013 to 2017, when he was removed by the Supreme Court amid revelations over his personal wealth.

Subsequently convicted of corruption, Sharif has consistently denied the accusations.

On October 25 last year, Sharif was granted bail and he obtained court clearance to leave the country for medical treatment.

Since then, “a medical board was constituted and opportunity of personal hearing was given on February 19, 20 and 21,” the cabinet said in a statement last month. “However, neither Sharif appeared, nor any of his medical reports were submitted on his behalf. On Feb 27, 2020, the request for extension in bail was dismissed.”

Prime Minister Imran Khan came to power in 2018 promising an anti-graft campaign, saying he would bring back billions of dollars allegedly squirrelled abroad by politicians.