Sharif, daughter walk out of jail

Fasihur Rehman Khan

Islamabad, September 19

After a series of political and legal setbacks since his ouster from power in July 2017, former Premier Nawaz Sharif and his political heir Maryam Nawaz had the first sigh of relief as they came out of jail on bail on Wednesday night.

Legal experts and lawyers, however, foresee a long battle for the former premier as two more corruption references are being heard in the accountability court, and it might take several weeks or months before the cases are finally decided, and may involve due appeals process.

Sharif’s party, the PML-N, is, meanwhile, planning a grand welcome for its leader but may be delayed by two-three days on account of Ashura Muharram days of mourning which fall on Thursday-Friday and observed by Muslims across the world.

Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law came out of the Rawalpindi Adiyala Jail amid cheers by party workers and were flown to Lahore in a special plane. National Assembly Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif received them on the jail premises and accompanied them thereafter.

Earlier during the day, the Islamabad High Court suspended the jail sentences of Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt Safdar in the Avenfield corruption case.

Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in jail, his daughter seven years and son-in-law one year by the accountability court on July 6 on charges of owning assets beyond means, concealment of facts etc.

The sentences would remain suspended until final decision in the case, the judgment said. “For the reasons to be recorded later, the petitions of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Mohammad Safdar are allowed,” read the short order by Justice Athar Minallah who headed the two-member Bench. The court will now fix dates for hearing of the appeals against the accountability court verdict in the case.

Sharif was dismissed as the Premier by the country’s supreme court on July 27, 2017, in Panama Papers case. Sharif and his daughter courted arrest at the Lahore airport on July 13 as they returned from London where they had gone to enquire about the health of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of Nawaz Sharif. Begum Kulsoom passed away last week. The PTI-led government released the trio on parole for five days that ended on Monday.

Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said: “The Sharif family has still not revealed the source of their wealth, which is worth billions. This verdict has been given on procedural basis. Once the matter moves forward, I am sure justice will find its way.”

Saeed to move court to retrieve frozen assets 

Lahore: Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed plans to launch the next phase of legal battle to retrieve assets of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its subsidiary Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) after Pakistan’s supreme court allowed the two outfits to continue their activities in the country, the JuD’s spokesman said on Wednesday. The government had frozen bank accounts of both organisations.  — PTI