Nawaz Sharif gets major relief from court, army-dominated NAB in corruption cases
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was greeted by his supporters
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday (Oct 26)restored former Pakistan prime ministerNawaz Sharif's appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases.
Earlier in the day, the court had reserved its judgement, while the country's anti-corruption watchdogNational Accountability Bureau had said that it did not have any objection if the appeals were restored.
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There is no order to arrest Nawaz Sharif in any court decision, NAB Prosecutor General Ehtisham Qadir was cited as saying in Pakistani media. The court may seek new surety bonds from Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, too was given a clean chit in the case. The judgereportedly remarked that Maryam Nawaz had no role in the case.
Sharif, accompanied by his younger brother and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif, appeared in the Islamabad High Court for the second time since his return to Pakistan from London on October 21.
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He was granted a protective bail until October 24 when he appeared before the court to surrender and also filed pleas for revival of his appeals in the Avenfield to Al-Azizia steel mill cases.
What does it mean?
The development reflects a longstanding notion that Sharif's return from his self-imposed exile after four years has been made possible because the country's powerful army wants him to take over as the political face of the establishment in the South Asian country.
A number of members of Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau, including the chairperson Lt Gen (Retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt are former army officers. Thereby, the absence of objection from the NAB over much-contentious corruption convictions against Nawaz Sharif reflects the wider consensus within the Pakistani establishment to pave the path of Sharif's return to Pakistan's corridors of power.
Pakistan's powerful military-intelligence nexus, collectively dubbed as the establishment, has directly ruled the country for three decades since it became independent from the British after a bloody partition from India in 1947.
The establishment continues to play a definingrole in and beyond Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office.
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