On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) made a decision to restore the pleas filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, Nawaz Sharif, challenging the convictions he received in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases.
Nawaz Sharif, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2019, had left for London in the midst of serving his seven-year prison sentence on medical grounds. However, he returned to Pakistan on October 21, marking his comeback to the country.
The verdict was announced by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, specifically addressing Nawaz Sharif’s appeals against his convictions in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases.
Nawaz Sharif arrived at the Islamabad High Court under tight security, accompanied by several prominent figures from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), including PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Parvez Rasheed, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and others, all present in the courtroom to support the former prime minister.
During the proceedings, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor argued that appeals had been lodged against the judgments of the accountability court in both the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases. The prosecutor emphasized that once these pleas were filed, they could not be withdrawn, and a decision on their merits had to be rendered.
This decision by the Islamabad High Court carries significant implications for Nawaz Sharif’s legal situation, and it marks a crucial development in the ongoing legal proceedings against him.
