Acquittal in Ashiana Housing Corruption Case: Shehbaz Sharif and Others Cleared
Acquittal in Ashiana Housing Corruption Case: Shehbaz Sharif and Others Cleared
In a significant development in Pakistan’s political landscape, former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, along with two members of the incumbent federal caretaker cabinet, have been acquitted in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme corruption case. This decision was made by the Accountability Court Lahore, led by Judge Ali Zulqarnain Awan.
Details of the Court Proceedings
The acquittal came after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua presented a report interpreting a recent Supreme Court order. This order had initially restrained trial courts from announcing final orders pending decisions on appeals against a judgment on amendments in the law. However, Janjua argued that the stay order did not apply to the acquittal applications at hand, as the trial court had heard them based on their merits.
The Judge’s Observation and Ruling
After reviewing the NAB’s report, Judge Awan concluded that there was no probability of conviction in the case, leading to the acquittal of Shehbaz Sharif, Fawad Hassan Fawad, Ahad Khan Cheema, and others involved. This decision marks a notable turn in the ongoing legal battles faced by members of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
Context of Political Shifts in Pakistan
The acquittal occurs amidst a series of legal reliefs granted to members of the PML-N, particularly after the ouster of former premier Imran Khan in April 2022. Both Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, prominent figures in the party, have been at the center of various corruption cases, with recent court decisions increasingly favoring them.
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