Pakistan Court Rejects Nawaz Sharif's Bail Plea In Corruption Case

A court in Pakistan rejected the bail application of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif today, refusing to grant him relief on medical grounds in a corruption case.

The reasons will be given in a detailed judgment to be issued later.

Mr Sharif, 69, has been serving a seven-year jail term in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

The Islamabad High Court's two-member bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani announced that the bail application was "dismissed".

Several leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former foreign minister Khawaja Asif were present inside the court when the verdict was announced.

"We are disappointed by the decision because different panels diagnosed the disease (of Sharif) and recommended treatment. But we accept the verdict and will explore more forums to get a remedy," Mr Abbasi said.

Mr Asif said "we will go for appeal against the verdict" which will be filed in the Supreme Court.

Dozens of PML-N supporters were also present outside the court premises and raised slogans against the verdict.

Mr Sharif was sentenced to seven years in jail on December 24 by an Islamabad-based Accountability Court and he was sent to Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore to serve the sentence.

Last month, he filed the bail application through his counsel Khawaja Haris for bail on medical reasons as he developed heart-related medical complications in jail.