Islamabad: Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz will be arrested on their arrival at any Pakistani airport as they have been convicted in a corruption case, a senior minister said. Maryam on Monday shared her flight details to return to Pakistan. She said she would reach Lahore airport on Friday at 6.15 pm by Etihad Airways' flight EY-243.
"On the announcement of the Sharif family that Nawaz and Maryam are arriving in Lahore on Friday at 6.15 pm we have written to the Punjab government to coordinate with NAB for their arrest at Lahore airport," a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) official said. He said NAB wouldn't allow Sharif to lead a rally. "We will make sure duo will be arrested," he said.
Sharif jailed for 10 years, Maryam for 7 years
Sharif said that he was returning to Pakistan following the 10-year prison sentence handed to him by the accountability court, saying he has been punished because he tried to turn the course of the country's 70-year history. Sharif, along with his daughter Maryam - who was also handed seven-year prison time - held a press conference in London hours after the verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference was announced.
The three-time premier said that if the punishment for "demanding respect for the vote is jail, I am coming to face it", adding that he will "not be a slave to those who violate their oath and the constitution of Pakistan. I promise that I will continue this struggle until Pakistanis are not free of the chains that they are kept in for saying the truth," he said. Sharif said that the deteriorating health of his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, who is receiving cancer treatment in London, as the reason for him not being able to return immediately.
He expressed his reservations over the accountability court's decision. "No pleas filed by me in court were approved, most of them were rejected, this is unfortunate because that doesn't happen in most cases."
Challenge the ruling
The Sharifs’ lawyers said they would challenge the ruling in high court. Accountability Court judge Mohammed Bashir also rejected an application from the Sharifs to postpone the announcement of the verdict. Earlier, Sharif was disqualified as Prime Minister in July 2017 by the Supreme Court following a challenge to his office by Opposition leader Imran khan on the basis of publication of the Panama Papers, which alleged that the Sharif family stashed away assets in London through offshore companies Nescoll and Nelson. The companies are owned by Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz. Assets in question are four expensive flats in London worth over £200 million.
