Headline

Former Pakistan PM Sharif sentenced to 7 years in prison

On Monday, the Pakistan anti-corruption court sentenced former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to seven years in prison in Al-Azizia case. Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik of Islamabad-based accountability court, who was handling this case, delivered his verdict on this case on Monday.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sentenced to seven years in prison

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The court acquitted him in another case related to investments in the United Kingdom and imposed a fine of 1.6 million pounds
  • In the much-awaited verdict, the accountability court said Sharif could not prove the source of income for the ownership of Al-Azizia steel mill but acquitted him in the case related to Flagship Investment in the UK

The anti-corruption court said in its decision that the three time prime minister was not capable to evidence the source of income that headed to his proprietorship of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia.

However, Sharif was found not guilty in the Flagship Investment case.

Sharif on Sunday said that he would not force to bow his head as he has done nothing and has worked for his country with righteousness. He said “I have always served the country and this nation with absolute honesty,”

Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) followers and senior party frontrunners gathered in a large number and were present outside the court to express their support for the party’s superlative leader.

Security has been called up all over the place around the court, with heavy commissions of police and Rangers positioned round the complex and end to end roads which leads to the court.

The top court primarily set six month time limit to accomplish the circumstances but it consequently increased about eight times on the appeal of the answerability court.

In July 2017, Sharif was excluded by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. Sharif was also sentenced by the same court in July for 10 years in prison along with his daughter Maryam and his son-in-law retired captain Mohammad Safdar for the concerns linked to the acquisition of four expensive luxury apartments in London through fraudulent practices, after the Supreme Court removed him from his supremacy. The all three then on an appeal was released in September.

Sharif’s party supporters and followers said that he would appeal. Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, told the reporters in Islamabad outside the court that “Appeal is our right, we will protest but will remain peaceful,”

In July 2017, Sharif was exiled and banned from holding office by the Supreme Court and was imprisoned previously this year in absentia. He was arrested after returning from London on July 13.

Daniyal Aziz, the previous policymaker from Sharif’s party, termed the verdict as “the weaponisation of anti-corruption”.

Daniyal Aziz said, “With each passing day an expression of a double standard is coming forward from the NAB,” mentioning to the supervisory body National Accountability Bureau that charged Sharif.

After the verdict was declared by the court, hundreds of Sharif supporters and followers disagreed and conflicted outside the court with police and also started throwing stones. The Police then fired teargas in contradiction of stone throwing protesters outside the court.

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