Current:Home > reviewsCourt overturns conviction of former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif ahead of parliamentary election -WealthCenter
Court overturns conviction of former Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif ahead of parliamentary election
View
Date:2025-04-24 22:06:17
ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Pakistani court overturned Tuesday the 2018 conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a graft case, clearing his path to run in the parliamentary election set to be held in February.
The Islamabad High Court announced its verdict after Sharif filed his appeal in October. Courts in Pakistan usually take much longer to issue such rulings. The same court acquitted Sharif in another graft case on Nov. 29.
Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League party welcomed the verdict, saying the country’s three-time former premier was exonerated and could run in the coming election.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sharif’s spokesperson, hailed the court ruling, saying: “Today, the reality of these fake and false cases has come to light in front of the public.”
In 2018, an anti-graft tribunal sentenced Sharif to seven years and 10 years in prison in two cases filed against him, after he stepped down as prime minister. He returned to Pakistan in October, after four years of self-exile abroad.
Currently, Sharif’s political future seems more secure than that of his rival and opponent Imran Khan, who is serving a three-year sentence for corruption in a jail on the outskirts of Rawalpindi. Khan has multiple charges filed against him.
Khan succeeded Sharif as prime minister in the 2018 parliamentary election. The former popular cricket star-turned-politician was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He remains Pakistan’s leading opposition figure, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party enjoys a large following.
veryGood! (15)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Neighboring New Jersey towns will have brothers as mayors next year
- The New York Times sues ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Microsoft, for copyright infringement
- Almcoin Trading Center: Why is Inscription So Popular?
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- Surprise, surprise! International NBA stars dominate MVP early conversation once again
- Can you sell unwanted gift cards for cash? Here's what you need to know
- On the headwaters of the Klamath River, water shortages test tribes, farmers and wildlife
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Taylor Swift Eras Tour Tragedy: Cause of Death Revealed for Brazilian Fan Who Passed Out During Show
Ranking
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- TikToker Mikayla Nogueira Addresses Claim She Lost 30 Lbs. on Ozempic
- North Dakota lawmaker who used homophobic slurs during DUI arrest has no immediate plans to resign
- Nordstrom Rack's Year-End Sale Has $19 Vince Camuto Boots, $73 Burberry Sunglasses & More Insane Deals
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Juvenile sperm whale euthanized after stranding on North Carolina beach
- Experts share which social media health trends to leave behind in 2023 — and which are worth carrying into 2024
- Prominent Republican Georgia lawmaker Barry Fleming appointed to judgeship
Recommendation
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Nikki Haley, asked what caused the Civil War, leaves out slavery. It’s not the first time
Ford, Tesla, Honda, Porsche among 3 million-plus vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
Takeaways from AP investigation into Russia’s cover-up of deaths caused by dam explosion in Ukraine
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
No let-up in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza as Christmas dawns
A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market
What is hospice care? 6 myths about this end-of-life option