The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday that it had no objection to restoring the conviction appeals of Nawaz Sharif, the thrice-ousted former premier, in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases. The former leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) personally appeared before the IHC, where a division bench led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb heard his pleas seeking the reinstatement of his appeals against the sentences imposed in the two graft references.
During the last hearing, which took place earlier in the week, the court issued notices to the NAB regarding Nawaz Sharif’s plea and extended his bail period. He surrendered before the bench, providing surety bonds worth Rs1 million.
Nawaz Sharif was convicted in 2018 by an accountability court in the two corruption references. He subsequently left for London in 2019 on medical grounds and made his return to Pakistan on October 21 after spending nearly four years in self-imposed exile.
Following his appearance before the IHC, the Punjab government took a notable step by suspending the sentence imposed on Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference. This suspension was made under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), a legal provision related to the commutation, suspension, and remission of sentences.
On the same day, Nawaz Sharif also secured bail from an accountability court in Islamabad in the Toshakhana case that he was facing. This development marks a significant legal turn in the case of the former premier, who has been a prominent figure in Pakistan’s political landscape.
