Islamabad: Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was given a 10-year jail term this month in a corruption case, challenged his conviction and sought suspension of the guilty verdict, media reports said. An anti-graft court had also handed down seven years in prison to Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz on the charges related to four luxury flats in London.
They returned to Pakistan from London on Friday. Both are currently in Adiyala prison in Rawalpindi city near the capital Islamabad where they will face trial in other two corruption cases. Sharif was accused of having wealth beyond his income. However, the charges were denied by the three-time Prime Minister as politically-motivated.
He was also sentenced one-year in prison for "not cooperating" with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's anti-graft body. His son-in-law was also convicted for one year in jail for abetment. Sharif's lawyers filed the petition in the Islamabad High Court, which sought acquittal of Nawaz Sharif and dropping all charges framed against him.
The court had imposed 8 million pounds penalty on Nawaz Sharif and 2 million pounds fine on Maryam Nawaz. A team of four senior lawyers filed the petition which prayed to set aside the judgement, conviction and sentence on July 6, 2018. The Islamabad High Court has not yet accepted the petition. A date for hearing will be announced after the appeal is accepted.
Bail plea rejected
The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday cancelled the bail requests of Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar in connection to the Avenfield properties case. The bench rejected the appeal to grant bail to Sharif, Maryam and Safdar, and directed the National Accountability Bureau to submit its reply to the application seeking to suspend their conviction. Furthermore, it requested the authorities to present a complete record of the Avenfield judgment in the next hearing.
The judges rejected a plea of Sharif's legal counsel to grant a stay order, which appealed to the Accountability Judge-I not to start the proceeding of the remaining two cases (Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references) against the Sharif family till the NAB submitted its reply, as per the News report.
Sharif, daughter in Adiyala jail; 50 injured in clashes
Sharif and his daughter were arrested minutes after landing in the country on Friday as they returned seeking to revitalise their flagging party ahead of the July 25 general election. In rallies held in connection with their arrival, at least 50 people were injured during clashes between PML-N workers and police in Pakistan's Punjab province.
The country's anti-graft body " National Accountability Bureau " arrested Nawaz and Maryam in the Avenfield properties case within minutes upon their arrival in Lahore and shifted them to Sahala Rest House in Rawalpindi after declaring it a sub-jail. "At least 50 people including 20 policemen have been injured during clashes between PML-N workers, the police and Pakistan Rangers mostly in Lahore and some adjoining districts in Punjab," Punjab police spokesman said.
PML-N workers stopped
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that a number of its workers had been injured in clashes with the police. "Thousands of our workers were stopped at different entry points of Lahore who were coming from other parts of Lahore to join a rally to welcome Nawaz and Maryam." She condemned the police for using force to stop PML-N workers. She also demanded the immediate release of its workers after the court directive.
The Lahore High Court later ordered the release of over 370 PML-N workers who were detained ahead of its Lahore rally. Thousands of people participated in the PML-N rally led by party president Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore that ended on Friday midnight without reaching the airport to welcome Nawaz and Maryam.
