Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has returned to prison to serve his term in a corruption case after the six-week bail granted to him on medical grounds ended on Tuesday. Sharif surrendered at the Kot Lakhpat jail, where he was accompanied by a procession of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers led by his daughter, PTI reported.
Sharif was granted bail on March 26 as the Supreme Court suspended his seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case with a condition that he would not leave Pakistan. The bail expired on Tuesday at midnight after the top court dismissed his review petition, requesting permission to go to London for further treatment.
The procession took four hours to reach the Kot Lakhpat jail. “I do not have words to thank the workers who turned up in thousands to express solidarity,” PTI quoted Sharif as saying, after reaching the jail. “It is midnight but the workers are still here with me. It is an amazing scene.”
Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif accompanied him in a car and posted images and videos online of the procession. “Took us four hours to reach Kotlakhpat from Raiwind which is hardly 30 mins drive.. Now at the entrance. Thank you Lahore,” she tweeted.
The former Pakistan prime minister was scheduled to surrender before midnight, but he purportedly got there half-an-hour late.
In December, an anti-corruption court in Pakistan had sentenced Sharif to seven years in jail and fined him $2.5 million (nearly Rs 17.5 crore) in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case. The court had, however, cleared him in the Flagship Investment case. Allegations have also been levelled against the Sharif family for possessing funds and assets that are disproportionate to their income.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!