Pakistani Court Orders Release of Jailed Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, His Daughter

Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are set to be released after the Islamabad High Court suspended their prison term in a corruption case. The two were convicted in July this year, shortly before the general elections in Pakistan.

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A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court suspended the 10-year jail sentence after hearing an appeal by Sharif denying any wrongdoing by him and his daughter in an illegal properties case that surfaced from the Panama Papers investigation. Sharif alleged that his arrest and conviction were politically motivated.

"The prosecution has failed to show the properties belong to Nawaz Sharif. It also failed to prove how Maryam Nawaz was sentenced under the same charge sheet which convicted Nawaz Sharif," Justice Athar Minallah said in court.

Their convictions remain under appeal, as the final hearing has yet to take place.

Last year, Nawaz Sharif had to resign as prime minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office amidst the graft case against him.