Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif returns to Islamabad to face trial in Panama Papers scandal

Islamabad: Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday returned home from London to face trial in the corruption cases spiralling from the Panama Papers scandal. Sharif, 67, had to step down as the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after he was disqualified as the prime minister by the Supreme Court on 28 July in the scandal. He went to London last month to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz who is battling throat cancer. Sharif was forced to come back to Pakistan after a bailable arrest warrant was issued by the Accountability Court on 26 October due to his non-appearance in two corruption cases related to the Panama Papers scandal. [caption id=“attachment_3934057” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. AP[/caption] State-run PTV footage showed Sharif stepping out of a Pakistan International Airline plane after it landed at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad. He was received by senior leaders of ruling PML-N and held a brief consultation with the party leaders at the VIP lounge of the airport. Later, he left in his private vehicle for Punjab House in Islamabad, where he was received by supporters and party workers. He is expected to hold extensive consultations throughout the day about court cases, political situation and party matters. Sharif told media in London that he was going back to Pakistan to face “bogus cases” when he should be with his wife. “These are bogus cases but I am going back to face them,” he said. The court would resume the hearing on Friday. Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retired) Mohmmad Safdar have been summoned. Maryam and Safdar have already been indicted in corruption cases filed against them by the country’s anti-corruption body National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Supreme Court’s instruction in the Panama Papers case. Earlier, the Accountability Court issued bailable arrest warrant against Sharif after he failed to appear in the court in three corruption cases. Three cases were registered by NAB on 8 September against Sharif, his children and son-in-law in the Accountability Court in Islamabad, following a verdict by the Supreme Court. He was indicted in absence in three cases. Maryam and Safdar have been indicted in one case with him, while the court is proceeding separately against his two sons Husain and Hasan who are co-accused in three cases. The court during the hearing on 9 October decided to separate the trial of his sons from Sharif and his daughter and son-in-law. The cases are based on 28 July’s disqualification verdict of the Supreme Court and to launch three corruption cases against him, his family, and one case against finance minister Ishaq Dar. If convicted, Sharif can be jailed.