All legal hurdles cleared for Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan return on 21 October

All legal obstacles were removed Thursday, paving the way for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, to return to his home country. Protective bail was granted to him in two corruption cases, while an arrest warrant related to the Toshakhana case was suspended by an accountability court, local media reported. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for bail in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases, which were subsequently approved, extending bail until 24 October. The IHC delivered its verdict, preventing authorities from arresting Nawaz Sharif upon his return to Pakistan on Saturday, October 21. The high court noted that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not object to the protective bail request in the corruption cases. An accountability court had previously suspended the arrest warrant linked to the Toshakhana case. The bail petitions of Nawaz Sharif were heard by a two-member IHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. In response to the verdict, PML-N President and former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the IHC’s decision, stating that his elder brother had been disqualified based on a “fictitious and fabricated story.” He highlighted the need for justice and affirmed the significance of bail as a fundamental right. A day earlier, the IHC had issued a notice to NAB regarding Nawaz’s petitions for protective bail in corruption references. NAB had nominated Rafay Maqsood to appear as a prosecutor before the IHC bench. Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former Prime Minister, had been declared a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases for non-compliance after he went to London for medical treatment with court permission in November 2019. In the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, Nawaz received sentences of ten and seven years in prison, respectively, from an accountability court in 2018. His appeals against these convictions were rejected by the IHC bench, leading to non-compliance. In 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia case on medical grounds, allowing him to travel to London for treatment, from where he did not return. Nawaz Sharif’s travel plan is set to take him from Dubai to Islamabad and then Lahore. Azam Nazeer Tarar, the head of Nawaz’s legal team, confirmed that the return schedule remained unchanged, with Nawaz landing in Islamabad on 21 October, and proceeding to Lahore after fulfilling legal formalities. PML-N senior leader Ishaq Dar also affirmed that Nawaz would reach Islamabad on October 21 and later proceed to Lahore to address a gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan. Additionally, the arrest warrant against Nawaz in the Toshakhana case was suspended by an accountability court, with the provision that it would be restored if he did not appear in court on October 24. Nawaz’s legal counsel cited his client’s health and submitted a medical report as justification for his absence. The return of Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan follows a change in his Dubai arrival schedule due to an important meeting in Saudi Arabia. He is expected to land in Dubai later in the evening. Nawaz Sharif, a three-time Prime Minister, faced convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases in 2018. The high court suspended the accountability court’s sentence, and appeal proceedings were underway when Nawaz travelled abroad for medical treatment, without returning to continue the case. He was permitted to go abroad for four weeks after his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, submitted an undertaking to the Lahore High Court assuring Nawaz’s return upon improved health. However, the IHC rejected the appeals due to non-prosecution in Nawaz’s absence and declared him a proclaimed offender. The court indicated that an appeal against the sentence could be filed upon his return.