Pakistani Court Orders Release of Jailed Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, His Daughter

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were convicted by the apex court after his family was found to be linked to offshore companies named in the Panama Papers released in 2015.

Nawaz Sharif and his daughter are set to be released after the Islamabad High Court suspended their prison term in a corruption case. The two were convicted in July this year, shortly before the general elections in Pakistan.

READ MORE: No Way, Sharif: Former Pakistan PM Disqualified from Leading His Party

A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court suspended the 10-year jail sentence after hearing an appeal by Sharif denying any wrongdoing by him and his daughter in an illegal properties case that surfaced from the Panama Papers investigation. Sharif alleged that his arrest and conviction were politically motivated.

— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) September 19, 2018

"The prosecution has failed to show the properties belong to Nawaz Sharif. It also failed to prove how Maryam Nawaz was sentenced under the same charge sheet which convicted Nawaz Sharif," Justice Athar Minallah said in court.

— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) September 19, 2018

Their convictions remain under appeal, as the final hearing has yet to take place.

Last year, Nawaz Sharif had to resign as prime minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office amidst the graft case against him.