• Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to return home today, ending 4 years of self-exile

    International
    Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif to return home today, ending 4 years of self-exile
    Sharif's final tenure as prime minister was beset by several difficulties...

    Digital Desk: Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan, has landed at Dubai International Airport and is all set to return to his home country in a few hours.

    "Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the leader of PML-N, has reached Dubai airport to board the 'Umeed-e-Pakistan' flight for his historic journey back to Pakistan. Daikho daikho kon aaya!!", the party said in a statement on its official page.

    Sharif conveyed his satisfaction upon landing at Dubai airport by saying, "I am feeling extremely thankful to Allah for allowing me to return to Pakistan after a four-year. If things in Pakistan were better off now than they were in 2017, that would be great.

    The PML-N is getting ready for a big welcome as a result of Sharif's self-imposed four-year exile in London. A major political gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore is bringing together party leaders and supporters from all around Pakistan.


    After a stunning win in 2013, Sharif's final tenure as prime minister was beset by several difficulties. It began with an opposition-led blockade of Islamabad that lasted for months, and it concluded with the Supreme Court disqualifying him in 2017. The "Panama Papers" releases sparked lengthy hearings regarding allegations of corruption during his two prior stints in government, which culminated in this court decision.

    Nawaz Sharif was convicted to ten years in prison in the Avenfield reference on July 6, 2018, according to the timetable of proceedings against him. In addition to this punishment, a fine of 8 million euros (1.3 billion Pakistani rupees) was imposed.
    Nawaz was convicted in absentia while he was in London, caring for his ailing wife.

    When Nawaz and his daughter Maryam arrived in Lahore from London on July 13, 2018, they were taken into custody. The Islamabad High Court issued an order for their release and a temporary suspension of their sentences after legal proceedings. But in the Al-Azizia sugar mills case, Nawaz was sentenced to seven years in jail in December of the same year along with a PKR 1.5 billion fine. This resulted in his detention from the courtroom and a ten-year ban from holding public office.

    While serving his sentence in the Al-Azizia case, Nawaz was diagnosed with an immune system disease in October 2019. As a result, he was released on interim bail to receive medical attention overseas. 

    The Islamabad High Court declared Nawaz Sharif's bail to have lapsed and ordered him to appear in court on September 1, 2020. As a result, arrest warrants without the need for bail were issued. He was also labeled a "proclaimed offender" for disobeying court orders despite arrest warrants and notices.

    A noteworthy event occurred in September of this year when Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of Nawaz Sharif and the prime minister at the time, declared that he would return to Pakistan on October 21—just in time for the general elections and the dissolution of the National Assembly.

    Finally, Nawaz Sharif was granted protective bail on October 19 in two graft cases, and an accountability court suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case, clearing the legal path for his smooth return to the country.