ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in two cases of corruption spiraling from the Panama Papers leak, his lawyers said.
Sharif is currently in London with his wife Kalsum as she undergoes cancer treatment, and has not returned to Pakistan since he was indicted in the corruption allegations earlier this month, despite reports he would do so.
“The accountability court issued bailable warrants for the former prime minister in two cases of alleged corruption today and adjourned (the) hearing until November 3,” one of his defense lawyers, Zafir Khan said.
In late July the Supreme Court sacked Sharif following an investigation into corruption allegations against his family, making him the 15th premier in Pakistan’s 70-year history to be ousted before completing a full term.
The claims against the prime minister stemmed from the Panama Papers leak last year, which sparked a media frenzy over the luxurious lifestyles and high-end London property portfolio owned by his family.
Sharif has faced — and come back from — similar challenges in the past.
In 1993 he was sacked from his first term as premier for corruption, while in 1999 he was sentenced to life in prison after his second term in office ended with a military putsch.
Following the coup he was allowed to go into exile in Saudi Arabia, returning in 2007 before becoming prime minister for a third time in 2013.
Last month his wife Kalsum won his former parliamentary seat during a heated by-election in Lahore, in a poll seen as a key test of the ruling party’s popularity after Sharif’s sacking and ahead of a general election due to be held sometime next year.
Pakistan court issues arrest warrant for ex-PM Sharif
Pakistan court issues arrest warrant for ex-PM Sharif
Two militants killed, four held in northwest Pakistan operation
- The operation was jointly conducted in the Lakki Marwat district by police, counter-terrorism department
- It comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing operation against militant groups in Afghanistan, with dozens killed so far
ISLAMABAD: Two militants were killed and four others were arrested in an operation in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, police said on Thursday.
The operation was jointly conducted in the Lakki Marwat district by police, counter-terrorism department and members of ‘Aman Committee,’ pro-government militias, according to a police spokesman.
Sajjad Khan, the deputy inspector general (DIG) of Bannu region, also dispatched additional police and CTD personnel along with armored vehicles for operation against militants present in the area.
“Two terrorists were killed during the operation,” the Bannu police spokesman said in a statement. “Four terrorists were arrested and two motorcycles used by them were recovered.”
The police statement did not specify which militant group the deceased and the arrestees belonged to, but the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), have stepped up their activities in the region in recent years.
“Search and clearance operation is still ongoing in the area,” DIG Khan said. “Terrorists will be brought to their logical end.”
Pakistan has struggled in recent years to contain a surge in militancy in KP and Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of sheltering militant groups like the TTP and Baloch separatists and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and says Pakistan’s security challenges are Islamabad’s internal matter.
Pakistan has separately launched an operation against alleged militant sanctuaries in Afghanistan since late last month, when Taliban forces attacked Pakistani military installations on Feb. 26 in response to earlier Pakistani strikes against the TTP and Daesh.
“Summary of Fitna Al Khawarij / Afghan Taliban losses: 641 killed, 855+ injured, 243 Check posts destroyed, 42 Posts captured & destroyed, 219 tanks, armored vehicles [and] artillery guns destroyed,” Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday in his daily update on the operation.
Afghanistan has also claimed to have killed dozens of Pakistani soldiers, while Kabul has said Pakistani strikes have killed scores of civilians. None of the casualty figures or battlefield claims from either side could be independently verified.
