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Bloomberg
A Pakistani High Court suspended former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s 10-year jail sentence on Wednesday, a judgement that may revive his political career after his party was ousted from power in July’s national election.
The two-member panel of judges, including Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, also suspended graft convictions against Sharif’s daughter, Maryam, and her spouse Muhammad Safdar, Ahsan Iqbal, a senior member of Sharif’s party, said outside the court. They were in jail since July and the court ordered their release.
The court also ordered a retrial of the corruption case brought by the National Accountability Bureau that had alleged Sharif failed to justify his income while buying properties in London. The order came after Sharif appealed his conviction.
Sharif’s freedom will boost his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which lost the controversial July 25 ballot to his main rival and now Prime Minister Imran Khan, who led a relentless anti-corruption campaign. Sharif’s party is now headed by his younger brother Shehbaz. Sharif denies any wrong doing and complained of political victimisation led by the military and judiciary. The ex-premier was disqualified from the office by the Supreme Court a year before his conviction. Both the army and the judiciary have denied involvement.