Pakistan court orders release of former PM Nawaz Sharif, daughter

A Pakistani court has suspended prison sentences previously handed down to ousted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter, and son-in-law in a corruption case.

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and Mohammad Safdar on bail pending their appeal hearings.

A two-member bench led by Justice Athar Minallah suspended the jail sentences while hearing the appeal against the convictions, which will stand even though their sentences have been suspended.

The court also ordered the trio be freed once they each post a bond of 500,000 rupees ($4,000).

Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to ten years in prison on July 6 in a corruption case linked to his family's purchase of upscale flats in London. His daughter, widely seen as his political heir, received a seven-year prison sentence. Safdar was given a one-year term.

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Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam, were arrested minutes after returning from London.

Sharif remains barred from running for public office for life, after the Supreme Court in April ruled that he had lied on a parliamentary wealth declaration and that the disqualification from that crime would last for an indefinite period.

The Wednesday court ruling comes just a week after Sharif's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, died from cancer in London. They were briefly allowed out of prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi to attend her funeral in the eastern city of Lahore but were later returned.

Hundreds of Sharif's supporters had gathered at the court ahead of the verdict, and chanted slogans praising him following the announcement of the sentence suspension.

Reacting to the verdict, Hamza Shehbaz, Nawaz Sharif's nephew, said the family was thankful for the ruling.

"Today is a happy day that our leader will be released from jail. We are thankful to Allah. As I said earlier, this verdict from the anti-corruption court, it was clear that there was no corruption proved against Nawaz Sharif. Hopefully we will show that there is nothing to this case."

"Today's fundamental news is that the verdict by the anti-corruption court against Nawaz Sharif was very weak, and ... hopefully we will continue our legal battle against all the other cases."

The former prime minister had earlier censured the court proceedings as politically motivated and a judicial witch hunt.

The Sharif clan and their supporters have repeatedly denied allegations of corruption, suggesting the three-time premier is the victim of a conspiracy driven by Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.

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A Pakistani court hands down a 10-year jail term to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case.

The latest court decision would serve a blow to Sharif's bitter political rival Imran Khan, who swept a July general election following Sharif's conviction and jailing. Khan, the current prime minister, was in Saudi Arabia on a state visit when the decision was announced.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog, is expected to appeal the Islamabad High Court's verdict at the Supreme Court. Hearings in two other corruption cases against Sharif and his family are continuing at an anti-corruption court.

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