An accountability court on Thursday said that a 34-year-old case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was reopened during the Imran Khan regime for “political victimisation” and to damage his reputation, the Dawn said.
The court acquitted Sharif of all charges leading his party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML-N) to say that it was “vindication” of the party chief.
Under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) regime in 2020, the Pakistan National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference alleging that Jang Group owner Mir Shakilur Rehman got 54 plots of land in Lahore’s Johar Town in an illegal manner with the help of the then chief minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif, in 1986. Nawaz Sharif, allegedly, made monetary gains in the deal.
“The record reflects that the accused Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had become the victim of political victimisation, and perhaps the NAB authorities were constrained to prepare the reference at the behest of the then ruling junta to damage and destroy the political career and goodwill of the accused who had been three-time elected prime minister of Pakistan,” the verdict said.
Sharif was cleared of any wrongdoing on June 24 through a short-order. Mir Shakilur Rehman and two other highly-placed civic administration officials were also acquitted earlier this year.
Following the verdict, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his cabinet minister Marriyum Aurangzeb lashed out at Imran Khan’s government for deliberately implicating the PML-N supremo.
Aurangzeb said that the PTI regime pressured the NAB to create false cases against Nawaz Sharif. Sharif said that the case was filed to cause political damage to his elder brother. “Today, the accountability court had affirmed that Nawaz Sharif was targeted for political vengeance,” Aurangzeb was quoted as saying by the Dawn. She said that “NAB-Niazi nexus” targeted political opponents of the PTI chief.
She further claimed that a senior editor of a media house was arrested to ensure that the mainstream media reflected the sentiments of the then-government and portray Nawaz Sharif in a bad light.
It remains unclear whether the acquittal will act as a precursor for the return of Nawaz Sharif who is currently in London. Nawaz was convicted in a corruption case and has been living in London since 2019 on the pretext of ill health.
