Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his wife, Maryam Nawaz, received a significant relief as a major corruption case against them was closed by the national anti-graft body. This development comes as Sharif is considered a front-runner for the upcoming general elections on February 8, where he aims to secure a record fourth term as prime minister. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced the closure of the corruption probe against the 74-year-old former prime minister and his family members in the Sharif Trust case. The investigation, initiated in 2000, alleged that the Sharif family had received illegal funds and misappropriated them through the Sharif Trust. Since Sharif’s return from self-exile in the UK in October 2023, he has been acquitted in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, which had resulted in convictions of 10 and seven years respectively. Moreover, Sharif became eligible to contest the upcoming elections after the Supreme Court lifted a lifetime ban on lawmakers under Article 62 (1)(f) of the Constitution. The ban had been imposed on Sharif in the Panama Papers case. He is now running for two national assembly seats in Lahore and Mansahra. The decision to overturn the lifetime disqualification has been hailed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party as a step towards restoring constitutional sanity. PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb remarked that history has vindicated Sharif and restored his honor, emphasizing the need to hold accountable those responsible for introducing the provision of lifetime disqualification in the law.
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Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif and Wife Cleared of Corruption Charges
