ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday acquitted Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, nephews of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in three corruption references, local media reported.
Both Hassan and Hussain, sons of three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, left the country in 2018 after they were named in the three corruption cases linked to the Panama Papers scandal. They were later declared proclaimed offenders by an accountability court for not joining investigation.
Like their father, both had been living in the United Kingdom in a self-imposed exile since 2018. The duo returned to Pakistan this month after filing an application through their counsel that sought suspension of warrants issued against them in the corruption references.
The brothers later filed petitions seeking acquittal in the corruption cases relating to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship company and Avenfield apartments, Pakistan’s Geo News channel reported. On Tuesday, their lawyer contended before the court that proceedings could not be carried out against them on allegations of abetting a crime, when the main suspects had been acquitted.
“[The court] granted relief to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons — Hasan and Hussain — on the petitions seeking acquittal in corruption cases related to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship company and Avenfield apartments,” the report read.
On March 14, the court had approved bail of both brothers in exchange for Rs50,000 bond each in the three references. Their perpetual arrest warrants and fugitive status had also been canceled.
Hassan and Hussain’s father, Nawaz Sharif, arrived in Pakistan in October last year after nearly four years of self-imposed exile. Nawaz was found guilty in 2017 of dishonest practices and disqualified under a 2018 Supreme Court ruling. He, however, left Pakistan in 2019 after obtaining a court-approved bail for treatment abroad.
Last year, the courts overturned most of the Sharif family convictions. Many suspected the move was part of the Pakistani military’s plan to grant relief to Nawaz after it had a falling out with his rival, ex-PM Imran Khan. Nawaz has denied this, while the military says it does not interfere in politics.
Pakistan court acquits PM Sharif’s nephews in graft cases
https://arab.news/yb86e
Pakistan court acquits PM Sharif’s nephews in graft cases
- Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz left country in 2018 after they were named in the cases linked to Panama Papers
- The brothers this month filed petitions seeking acquittal in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship and Avenfield references
Pakistan says 177 militants killed in Balochistan counteroffensive after wave of attacks
- Authorities say coordinated attacks last weekend killed 31 civilians, 17 security personnel
- Separatist BLA group claimed responsibility as operations expanded across multiple districts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have killed 22 more militants in overnight counteroffensive operations in the southwestern province of Balochistan, state media reported on Monday, taking the total number of insurgents killed over the past three days to 177 following a wave of coordinated separatist attacks.
Militants launched simultaneous assaults across multiple districts in Balochistan on Friday and Saturday, targeting security installations and government facilities. The attacks marked one of the deadliest escalations in recent years in the resource-rich but restive province, with at least 31 civilians and 17 members of law enforcement agencies killed.
The banned separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had launched a coordinated operation dubbed Herof, or “black storm,” targeting security forces across the province. The assault included pre-dawn strikes on high-security installations in the cities of Quetta, Gwadar, Dalbandin, Pasni, Nushki, Kalat, Turbat and Mastung.
On Monday, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said security forces carried out the latest “sanitization operations” against what it described as “Fitna-al-Hindustan” in Balochistan late Sunday night. Pakistan’s military and civilian authorities use the term to describe separatist militants in the province whom Islamabad alleges are supported by India, a charge New Delhi denies.
“According to security sources, 22 more terrorists were killed last night during pursuit operations,” Radio Pakistan said. “At least 177 terrorists have been eliminated in the operations conducted over the last three days.”
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, has long been gripped by a separatist insurgency that has intensified in recent years. Militants frequently target security forces, government officials, infrastructure projects, foreigners and non-local workers.
Balochistan is strategically significant for Pakistan due to its vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons and its role as a transit hub for the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The province is home to the deep-sea Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea, which Islamabad views as critical to regional trade and energy routes linking China, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Separatist groups accuse the central government of exploiting the province’s natural resources while neglecting local communities. Islamabad rejects the allegations, saying it is investing in development and security to stabilize the province.
