Islamabad HC restores Nawaz Sharif's pleas in two graft cases

Nawaz, a three-time Prime Minister, appeared in person before an Islamabad HC division bench --led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and comprising Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb -- which heard his pleas against the sentences awarded to him in the two graft cases.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the bench that it has no objections to the revival of Nawaz's pleas. When asked if NAB would defend the judgments against Nawaz in its arguments upon the restoration of appeals, the anti-corruption body said that it would review the case and evidence before giving its arguments, Geo News reported.

The HC had granted protective bail to the PML-N supremo on October 19, allowing him to return safely to the country and appear before the court on October 24.

This was followed by the bail of the three-time deposed premier's in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases being extended till October 26, after the anti-graft watchdog told the court that it had no objections to the pleas filed by Nawaz.

Moreover, the Punjab government also approved the suspension of Nawaz's sentence in the Al-Azizia reference on that same day.

The ousted PM was handed down a 10-year jail sentence in the Avenfield properties corruption reference for owning assets beyond known income in July 2018 and a year for not cooperating with the anti-graft watchdog's both of the sentences were to be served concurrently, as per Geo News.

In the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, Nawaz was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24, 2018, and then taken to Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail from where he was shifted to Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail the next day, according to Geo News.

Nawaz Sharif arrived in Pakistan on October 21 after four years of self-imposed exile in London.

Upon his arrival, Sharif addressed a massive crowd of supporters at the Minar-e-Pakistan rally in Lahore. (ANI)