ISLAMABAD: Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appeared before an anti-corruption court on Tuesday, kicking off trial proceedings that he says are biased and which threaten to dent his party’s chances at the next general election due in mid-2018.
Sharif briefly appeared before a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court in Islamabad on three corruption charges. He did not enter a plea.
Local TV channels reported that Sharif is scheduled to be formally indicted on Oct. 2, about two months after his disqualification by the Supreme Court for not declaring a small source of income that he denied receiving.
A Supreme Court panel has also alleged Sharif family’s wealth far exceeds their legal income.
“He has appeared before the court and by appearing he has proved to be a lion,” said Marvi Memom, a lawmaker for Sharif’s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)party.
Sharif, who returned from London on Monday after about a month in Britain, told the court his wife was being treated for cancer in London and needs his care.
He did not speak to the media after his court appearance but is due to hold a televised press conference at 3pm (1000 GMT).
Sharif has portrayed the corruption claims against him as politically motivated, while his allies, including daughter and heir-apparent Maryam, have hinted Pakistan’s powerful military had a hand in his toppling. The military denies any such action.
“It’s a good thing that finally NAB and such institutions are holding rich and powerful to the count,” said Shafqat Mahmood, a senior members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
PTI, led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan who doggedly pushed the Supreme Court into launching a corruption probe into Sharif, has called for an early election but it is unlikely the government will agree to that.
Sharif’s returned to Pakistan quashed growing speculation that his long absense was the start of another period in exile for the veteran leader whose three stints as prime minister were all cut short, including one by a military coup in 1999.
“What kind of justice is this, what kind of accountability is this?” Sharif told reporters outside his upscale London apartment in London before departing for Islamabad on Sunday.
Two of Sharif’s sons are also due to appear before a NAB court, as well as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, a long-time ally who is married into the Sharif family.
Analysts say Sharif’s return to Pakistan was in large part due to fears of defections within the PML-N, a common occurrence in a nation where politicians switch allegiances ahead of polls depending on which way the political winds are blowing.
Sharif kept control of PML-N after his ouster and installed loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister.
The Supreme Court has told the NAB courts that the trials into the Sharifs must be over within six months, with opponents betting that a flow of negative news from the trials will hurt PML-N’s popularity ahead at the next election.
Pakistan’s ex-PM Sharif appears before anti-corruption court, set to be indicted
Pakistan’s ex-PM Sharif appears before anti-corruption court, set to be indicted
Four cops killed as separatist militants launch ‘coordinated’ attacks in Pakistan’s southwest — police
- The attacks began in Balochistan’s capital of Quetta at around 6am with a powerful explosion, followed by intense gunfire
QUETTA: Separatist militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have launched “coordinated” attacks in several cities of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and killed at least four policemen, officials said early Saturday.
The attacks in the provincial capital of Quetta began at around 6am with a powerful explosion, followed by intense gunfire that lasted for two hours along with multiple explosions.
Residents of Dalbandin and Nuhski said they heard explosions and gunfire in the districts early Saturday morning, while there were reports of similar attacks in Mastung, Gwadar, Pasni and Turbat.
A senior police official, who requested anonymity, told Arab News that the militants attempted to enter the provincial capital of Quetta but police and other law enforcement agencies stopped them.
“The terrorists attacked a police mobile at Sariab road which resulted in the killing of two policemen,” he said. “Police and other law enforcement agencies denied space to the terrorists in Quetta city and a clearance operation is still going on.”
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces and foreigners, and kidnap government officials.
Shahid Rind, the Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, said police and paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) had foiled the attacks and were chasing the assailants.
“After the killing of more than 70 terrorists at different places in Balochistan in the last two days, terrorists have attempted to attack at a few places in Balochistan, which have been foiled by timely action by the police and FC,” he said on X.
“At present, the pursuit of the fleeing terrorists is underway. More details will be revealed very soon.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, BLA said the group had launched ‘Operation Herof 2.0,’ which included a series of attacks in multiple cities of Balochistan.
Saturday’s attacks follow coordinated attacks carried out by the group in Aug. 2024 in various districts of Balochistan which killed dozens of people.
The separatists accuse the central government of stealing the region’s resources to fund development elsewhere in the country. The Pakistani government denies the allegations and says it is working for the uplift of local communities in Balochistan.
Pakistan Railways has suspended train service from Balochistan to other parts of the country for a day, following Saturday’s attacks.
“Quetta-Peshawar bound Jaffar Express, and Quetta-Chaman passenger trains have been canceled due to the prevailing security situation in Balochistan,” Muhammad Kashif, the railways controller in Quetta division, told Arab News.
At least four police officials in as many districts confirmed to AFP the situation was not completely under control yet.
“At least four policemen were killed in Quetta alone,” he added, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
A senior military official based in Islamabad confirmed the attacks, adding they were “coordinated but poorly executed.”
