A senior Pakistani judge was sacked on Friday following a scandal over blackmail claims relating to the jailing of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges, the law ministry said.

The removal of accountability court judge Arshad Malik prompted immediate calls by Sharif's PML-N party for the release of the 69-year-old former premier, who is serving a seven-year jail sentence.

"The decision against Nawaz Sharif should be dismissed and he should be released immediately," party spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb said, adding that Sharif's conviction should be considered "void".

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-court-allows-nawaz-sharifs-personal-physician-to-visit-him-in-jail-234746&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiyoIbeqq_jAhVFZt4KHYzfCBAQFjACegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1HWKrSvXRMzLEbkT5athba">Sharif</a> was convicted and jailed last year after failing to prove the source of income that had led to his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. Under Pakistani law, this is taken to prove corruption.

The PML-N has disputed the conviction and last week party leaders presented a video apparently showing Malik saying he had been pressured into ruling in favour of conviction by individuals with compromising footage against him.

Malik later issued a statement denying he had been blackmailed to convict Sharif and said the video had been manipulated. He also declared in an affidavit he had been offered bribes followed by blackmail threats by figures close to Sharif to rule in favour of the former premier.

After days of growing pressure, Islamabad High Court asked the law ministry to remove him from his position.

"Judge Arshad Malik was asked to stop working based on the alleged video and the press release," Law Minister Farogh Naseem told a news conference.

The scandal adds to an already heated political climate in Pakistan where Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, which came to power last year vowing to root out corruption, has been facing increasing economic difficulties.

Earlier this month it agreed to a $6 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, which has demanded a tough package of austerity measures.

As the problems have mounted, opposition parties have stepped up attacks, accusing the government and its allies in the powerful military establishment of crushing dissent and orchestrating Sharif's removal from power and conviction.

A senior Pakistani judge was sacked on Friday following a scandal over blackmail claims relating to the jailing of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges, the law ministry said.

A senior Pakistani judge was sacked on Friday following a scandal over blackmail claims relating to the jailing of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges, the law ministry said. The removal of accountability court judge Arshad Malik prompted immediate calls by Sharif's PML-N party for the release of the 69-year-old former premier, who is serving a seven-year jail sentence. "The decision against Nawaz Sharif should be dismissed and he should be released immediately," party spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb said, adding that Sharif's conviction should be considered "void". Sharif was convicted and jailed last year after failing to prove the source of income that had led to his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. Under Pakistani law, this is taken to prove corruption. The PML-N has disputed the conviction and last week party leaders presented a video apparently showing Malik saying he had been pressured into ruling in favour of conviction by individuals with compromising footage against him. Malik later issued a statement denying he had been blackmailed to convict Sharif and said the video had been manipulated. He also declared in an affidavit he had been offered bribes followed by blackmail threats by figures close to Sharif to rule in favour of the former premier. After days of growing pressure, Islamabad High Court asked the law ministry to remove him from his position. "Judge Arshad Malik was asked to stop working based on the alleged video and the press release," Law Minister Farogh Naseem told a news conference. The scandal adds to an already heated political climate in Pakistan where Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, which came to power last year vowing to root out corruption, has been facing increasing economic difficulties. Earlier this month it agreed to a $6 billion bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, which has demanded a tough package of austerity measures. As the problems have mounted, opposition parties have stepped up attacks, accusing the government and its allies in the powerful military establishment of crushing dissent and orchestrating Sharif's removal from power and conviction.

Pakistani judge who jailed Nawaz Sharif sacked over blackmail claims

Pakistan&#39;s ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday&nbsp;compared the corruption cases against him to a &#39;flop&#39; movie as he appeared before an accountability court trying him for graft in the Panama Papers scandal that forced him to resign.

The cases were launched on September 8 following the Supreme Court verdict of July 28 that disqualified Sharif as prime minister and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for institution of cases against him.

Sharif, 68, arrived in the court - his 13th appearance&nbsp;in Islamabad.

He was accompanied by daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, who are co-accused in one of three cases.

During the hearing, at least two more witnesses produced by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recorded their statements.

Sharif&#39;s lawyer Khawaja Harris cross-examined the witnesses.

Later, the court postponed hearing till January 23 and summoned three more witnesses.

Sharif after the court hearing narrated a story about a famous big-budget film in the 1960s to dismiss corruption charges against him.

&quot;After it was released, amid much fanfare, someone asked the producer and director how the movie was faring, to which they replied &#39;Pehlay haftay zabardast, doosray haftay zabardasti (The first week was great but the second was forced),&quot; Sharif said as he linked the &#39;flop&#39; movie to his own corruption cases.

&quot;You (media representatives) are here covering the case. You better know these cases and how strong they are&quot;, he said.

He also criticised his political opponents planning protests this week against his party&#39;s rule in Punjab province. He asked them to wait for another four months when general elections are due to be held.

The three cases against him pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, several companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and London&#39;s Avenfield properties.

Sharif and some of his family members are facing charges relating to their overseas properties.

The political future of Sharif, who leads the country&#39;s most powerful political family and the ruling PML-N party, has been hanging in balance since then. If convicted, Sharif can be jailed.

A Supreme Court verdict of July 28 disqualified Sharif as Pakistan's Prime Minister and ordered an inquiry against him

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday compared the corruption cases against him to a 'flop' movie as he appeared before an accountability court trying him for graft in the Panama Papers scandal that forced him to resign. The cases were launched on September 8 following the Supreme Court verdict of July 28 that disqualified Sharif as prime minister and ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for institution of cases against him. Sharif, 68, arrived in the court - his 13th appearance in Islamabad. He was accompanied by daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, who are co-accused in one of three cases. During the hearing, at least two more witnesses produced by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recorded their statements. Sharif's lawyer Khawaja Harris cross-examined the witnesses. Later, the court postponed hearing till January 23 and summoned three more witnesses. Sharif after the court hearing narrated a story about a famous big-budget film in the 1960s to dismiss corruption charges against him. "After it was released, amid much fanfare, someone asked the producer and director how the movie was faring, to which they replied 'Pehlay haftay zabardast, doosray haftay zabardasti (The first week was great but the second was forced)," Sharif said as he linked the 'flop' movie to his own corruption cases. "You (media representatives) are here covering the case. You better know these cases and how strong they are", he said. He also criticised his political opponents planning protests this week against his party's rule in Punjab province. He asked them to wait for another four months when general elections are due to be held. The three cases against him pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, several companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and London's Avenfield properties. Sharif and some of his family members are facing charges relating to their overseas properties. The political future of Sharif, who leads the country's most powerful political family and the ruling PML-N party, has been hanging in balance since then. If convicted, Sharif can be jailed.

Nawaz Sharif dismisses as 'flop' corruption charges against him

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Pakistani judge who jailed Nawaz Sharif sacked over blackmail claims

Nawaz Sharif dismisses as 'flop' corruption charges against him