Pakistan’s deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned to prison early Wednesday accompanied by a huge convoy of supporters to serve his seven-year sentence in a corruption case after the end of his six-week bail on medical grounds.
On March 26, the Supreme Court suspended Sharif’s seven-yearsentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case and granted him bail forsix weeks with a condition that he would not leave Pakistan.
Last month, the 69-year-old three-time prime minister soughtthe apex court’s permission to go abroad for medical treatment. However, thepermission was not granted.
On Tuesday, Sharif left his Jati Umra residence here for theKot Lakhpat Jail in a procession of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workersled by his daughter Maryam.
Maryam and his nephew Hamza Shehbaz along with hundreds ofPML-N workers accompanied him.
The supporters gathered outside Sharif’s Jati Umra residenceand accompanied him to jail.
The procession took four hours to reach the Kot LakhpatJail, which is otherwise just 30 minutes away.
The bail expired on Tuesday midnight (May 7) with the apexcourt rejecting his review petition, seeking permission to go London forfurther treatment.
After reaching jail, Sharif thanked his party workers forturning up in large numbers.
“I do not have words to thank the workers who turned upin thousands to express solidarity. It is midnight but the workers are stillhere with me. It is an amazing scene,” he said in a message.
The massive support for the PML-N leader included a largenumber of party workers from different parts of Punjab province who turned upfor the rally en-route to the jail.
Sharif’s daughter Maryam accompanied her father in his carand posted images online of the reception their entourage got form the public.
Though Sharif was to reach jail before midnight, he reportedhalf-an-hour late. The Punjab Home Department directed the jail authorities toreceive Sharif and shift him to the barrack, officials said.
He was imprisoned in Adiyala Jail and shifted to Kot LakhpatJail on request.
Sharif has been serving a seven-year prison term at the jailsince December 24, 2018 when an accountability court convicted him in one ofthe three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court’s July 28, 2017order in Panama Papers case.
The Supreme Court’s July 2017 verdict disqualified him and removed him from premiership. Sharif and his family have denied any wrongdoing and allege that the corruption cases against them were politically motivated.