Pakistan Puts Graft-Convicts Nawaz Sharif, Daughter Maryam on Exit Control List, Three Days Before Their Return From London
Nawaz and his daughter were convicted on Friday in the Avenfield corruption case by an anti-graft court in Pakistan.
Islamabad, July 10: Three days before their arrival, the caretaker government of Pakistan has put ousted premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz on the Exit Control List. This means they would be allowed to land on the Pakistani soil but would be barred from leaving.
Nawaz, along with Maryam, are currently in London where they are attending to the former's wife Kulsoom Begum whose condition deteriorated after suffering a cardiac arrest earlier in the month. Begum was rushed to the UK last month after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her treatment is underway at the Harley Street Clinic in London.
Earlier in the day, clashes broke out between the UK cadres of Nawaz's PML-N and Imran Khan's PTI. Supporters of both the parties were involved in a fight outside the residence of Hassan Nawaz, the son of Nawaz Sharif, in London.
In another incident, a Pakistani-origin mob in London's Avgenfield was spotted hurling abuses at Nawaz and hurling eggs at his convoy.
Maryam, while addressing reporters, said Imran Khan should be blamed for "degrading the course of Pakistan's politics" to an unprecedented level. "He is directly provoking violence through his speeches," she said.
The PTI's UK chapter, however, issued a clarification saying its cadres were not responsible for hurling abuses at Nawaz or attempting to throw eggs at him or his family members.
Nawaz and his daughter were convicted on Friday in the Avenfield corruption case by an anti-graft court in Pakistan. While the former PM was sentenced to 10 years in prison, his daughter was awarded seven.
Reacting to the verdict, Nawaz said he is being targeted for attempting to "empower" the civilian government. He further claimed that unlike absconders he would return to his homeland and wage a legal battle.
Maryam has appealed the Pakistani electorate to "deliver the real verdict" when they cast their mandate on July 25. In the single-phase general elections, Nawaz's PML-N is pitted against Khan's PTI. Former president Asif Ali Zardari's PPP is the third major force in the electoral fray.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 10, 2018 11:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).