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Pakistan court grants bail to ex-PM Nawaz Sharif ahead of return from exile
- Sharif, who has been in voluntary exile in London, is expected to return to Pakistan on Saturday. He stepped down in 2017, convicted of corruption
- The court’s decision allows Sharif to return to his heartland of Lahore for a welcome home rally, while key opponent Imran Khan languishes in jail
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A Pakistan court granted bail Thursday to exiled former prime minister and corruption convict Nawaz Sharif, removing the threat of arrest when he returns to the country this weekend, his lawyer said.
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After nearly four years in self-imposed medical exile in Britain, Sharif is hoping to lead his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party through elections, scheduled for January.
The court’s decision allows him to return to his heartland of Lahore on Saturday for a welcome home rally, while his primary opponent Imran Khan languishes in jail.
“The honourable Islamabad High Court has granted Nawaz Sharif protective bail until October 24,” said his lawyer Amjad Pervaiz. “He cannot be arrested on his arrival.”
Sharif has been prime minister three times but was ousted in 2017 and given a lifetime disqualification from politics after being convicted of corruption in two cases, allegations he denied.
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He served less than one year of a seven-year sentence before being granted permission to seek medical care in the United Kingdom, ignoring court orders to return during former prime minister Imran Khan’s government.
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