The interim Punjab government has decided to suspend Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif’s sentencing in the Al-Aziza graft case. The decision followed Nawaz Sharif’s request to the province administration for a stay of execution under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
Section 401 of the CrPC deals with sentence commutations, suspensions, and remissions.
The interim cabinet accepted the request made by Nawaz Sharif’s legal representatives, Azam Nazir Tarrar and Amjad Pervez, via video link.
During the cabinet meeting, the Punjab chief secretary was also present.
Nawaz Sharif’s legal difficulties began on December 24, 2018, when he was convicted in the Al-Aziza Steel Mills graft reference. He sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rs1.5 billion and $25 million.
He then fled to the United Kingdom for medical reasons in 2019, where he lived in self-exile for four years before returning to Pakistan on October 21, 2023.
Notably, he also convicted in the Avenfield case in 2018.
In a parallel legal event, Nawaz Sharif petitioned the Islamabad High Court for the restoration of his appeals against conviction in both the Avenfield and Al-Aziza cases.
Furthermore, the PML-N leader obtained bail in the Toshakhana case from an accountability court in Islamabad till November 20, submitting a Rs1 million surety bond.
The latest decision to suspend Nawaz Sharif’s sentence has important legal and political ramifications. It emphasizes the changing legal landscape as well as the role of the interim government in making such decisions.
