Three-time former Prime Minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif is set to return to Pakistan on Saturday after a four-year-long self-imposed exile in London.
The last term of Mr Sharif -- which came riding on a triumphant victory in 2013 -- was scarred by upheavals. It started with the then-opposition-led months-long blockade of Islamabad and ended with his disqualification by the Supreme Court in 2017 for not withdrawing a salary from the company of his son, Geo News reported.
Looking at the timeline of cases against Nawaz Sharif, on July 6, 2018, he was sentenced to 10 years in jail upon conviction in the Avenfield reference along with a fine of 8 million Euros (Pakistani Rupees 1.3 billion).
The former PM was convicted in absentia as he was in London at that time to look after his ailing wife, as per Geo News.
On July 13, Mr Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz -- who is currently PML-N's Vice President and Chief Organiser -- were arrested upon their arrival in Lahore from London.
After approaching the Islamabad High Court, the Sharifs got major relief as the IHC ordered the release of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Muhammad Safdar while temporarily suspending the sentences awarded to them, Geo News reported.
However, the relief was short-lived, as in December of the same year, after National Accountability Bureau (NAB) awarded Mr Sharif a seven-year jail term and a fine of PKR 1.5 billion in the Al-Azizia sugar mills reference.
He was arrested from the courtroom after the accountability court judge announced the verdict in the graft case filed in light of the Supreme Court's 2016 Panamagate verdict. With the verdict came Mr Sharif's disqualification to hold any public office for a period of 10 years, Geo News reported.
In October 2019, he was diagnosed with an immune system disorder, while serving his sentence in the Al-Azizia case, after which the doctors advised him to go abroad for medical treatment.
The former PM was able to obtain an interim bail in the sugar mills reference on medical grounds. After this, the Islamabad HC granted Nawaz an eight-week bail in the Al-Azizia case in view of his deteriorating health.
In November 2019, the Lahore HC allowed him to travel abroad for four weeks and ordered the Imran Khan government to remove his name from the no-fly list without imposing any conditions, after the ex-PM assured the court of his return within the specified time in a court-approved undertaking, Geo News reported.
The court also allowed him to leave the country for a period of four weeks, which was extendable on the basis of medical reports.
On September 1, 2020, the Islamabad HC ordered the former PM to surrender and appear in court, saying that his bail had lapsed on February 27. The court also issued Mr Sharif's non-bailable arrest warrants over non-compliance of the orders.
Nawaz Sharif was even declared a "proclaimed offender" in both cases for "deliberately" not returning to the country and appearing before the court, despite the notices, arrest warrants and advertisements, Geo News reported.
But, in a major development in September this year, brother and then PM Shehbaz Sharif announced October 21 as the date of Nawaz Sharif's return to Pakistan. This came just in the run-up to the electoral process for the next general elections followed by the dissolution of the National Assembly.
On October 6, a fresh medical report of the former premier was submitted to the Lahore HC, stating that Nawaz needs nonstop monitoring owing to residual cardiac disease symptoms.
Finally, on October 19, Nawaz Sharif was granted protective bail in two graft cases, while an accountability court suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case, removing all the legal hurdles in his smooth return to the country, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given permission to a special plane booked to carry PML-N supremo to land in the country upon its arrival, ARY News reported.
The PML-N party is preparing for a grand welcome for the former PM on October 21. Several party leaders and workers are converging in Lahore from all across Pakistan for the party's grand power show. It has also booked multiple special trains to ensure that its supporters are able to attend the Minar-e-Pakistan rally, Geo News reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
