Nawaz Sharif’s roller-coaster ride from ban to ballot

LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan lifted a lifetime ban on former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Istehkam Party Pakistan linchpin Jahangir Tareen, and other politicians with past convictions on Monday.

This decision allows them to participate in next month’s national ballot exercise. The pivotal Apex Court verdict immediately made headlines in all forms of local and international media, as it has now paved the way for Nawaz Sharif to strive for the crown for the fourth time.

Having experienced a roller-coaster ride in Pakistani politics, facing jails and exiles, and then going on to win thrones, Nawaz obtained the keys to the prime minister’s office twice between 1990 and 1999 before being overthrown by General Musharraf on October 12, 1999, in a bloodless coup.

He was tried on charges of hijacking, terrorism, and murder conspiracy, and on April 6, 2000, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. In July 2000, Nawaz was additionally convicted of corruption and sentenced to 14 years in prison while already serving a life sentence. His failure to declare assets and pay taxes led to the conviction. In December 2000, he was released by a deal brokered by the Saudi Royals and flown to Saudi Arabia.

In 2007, the Supreme Court lifted the exile imposed on Sharif. However, when Nawaz attempted to return to Pakistan in the same year, he was deported just hours after his arrival. Finally, on November 25, 2007, he successfully returned to Pakistan.

Between December 10, 2000, and November 25, 2007, he spent a little less than seven years, or exactly 2540 days, in exile but could not contest the 2008 polls. In February 2009, the court ruled that Sharif was ineligible for office due to his criminal conviction.

President Zardari allegedly attempted to place Nawaz under house arrest, but the Punjab police shocked all by leaving his residence after an angry crowd had gathered outside. This was during the eventful Lawyers’ Movement, where Nawaz led the cause of 60 judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who were dismissed by General Musharraf in 2007.

The PPP government failed to restore the sacked judges, fearing that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry might undo all edicts instated by Musharraf, including an amnesty that Asif Zardari had received from corruption charges against him. By the time Nawaz’s procession reached Gujranwala, the government of Premier Yousaf Raza Gillani had announced the restoration of the arbiters.

On May 26, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled that Sharif was eligible to run in elections and hold public office. In July 2009, he was cleared of hijacking charges, and in April 2010, the 18th Amendment removed the two-term limit for prime ministers, allowing Sharif to contest for a third term.

In June 2013, Nawaz was elected prime minister for the third time. In November 2016, seven months after the Panama Papers scam had surfaced, the Supreme Court announced that a commission would probe Sharif’s finances after leaked documents showed that his children owned shell companies in the British Virgin Islands.

On July 28, 2017, Nawaz was removed from office by the Supreme Court, stating that he had been dishonest in not disclosing his employment at the Dubai-based Capital FZE Company in his nomination papers. However, the court did not mention the disqualification period in the verdict.

In April 2018, the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif and barred him from holding public office for life. In July 2018, the accountability court announced the verdict in the Avenfield Properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau, handing ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years of jail time in absentia for owning assets beyond known income and one year for not cooperating with NAB.

The verdict stated that the sentences would run concurrently, meaning the former prime minister would serve 10 years in jail. While his daughter Maryam, seen as his heir apparent, received a seven-year sentence (along with fines), his son-in-law, Captain Safdar, received a one-year sentence. They were barred from engaging in politics for 10 years. As the nine-month-long trial concluded, Nawaz was fined £8 million, and Maryam was fined £2 million. The money will go into the state treasury.

In July 2018, Nawaz and Maryam were arrested after they flew back from the United Kingdom to face prison sentences. In September 2018, the Islamabad High Court suspended a corruption sentence against Nawaz and Maryam, and the duo was ordered to deposit bail. Nawaz was released after serving less than three months of a 10-year sentence.

In December 2018, Nawaz was found guilty of fresh corruption charges, sentenced to seven years in prison, and fined. The former premier was arrested in the courtroom. In October 2019, he was released on bail due to health issues, and in November, he flew to London for treatment.

In December 2020, the Islamabad High Court declared Sharif a proclaimed offender for his continued absence from the court. In April 2022, after Imran Khan’s ouster, Nawaz’s younger sibling, Shehbaz Sharif, was sworn in as premier.

On October 21, 2023, Sharif again returned to Pakistan after spending almost four years in exile. A court had granted him protective bail. On December 12, 2023, the court overturned Sharif’s 2018 conviction for graft.