In a significant development, an accountability court in Islamabad hasreversed the property confiscation order related to Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nawaz Sharif in the Tosha Khana reference.Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir issued a directive for thereturn of the seized property and assets to the former prime minister.
The court specifically ordered the return of seized properties, vehicles,and bank accounts that belonged to Nawaz Sharif. This decision marks anotable shift in a legal saga that began in October 2020 when theaccountability court initially issued orders for the confiscation of NawazSharif’s properties.
During that time, the court had declared Nawaz Sharif a fugitive in theToshakhana reference, leading to the seizure of over 1650 kanals ofagricultural land and high-end vehicles owned by him in Lahore. TheToshakhana reference revolves around a corruption case against Nawaz Sharifand other political leaders.
They are accused of illegally obtaining and selling gifts from foreigndignitaries that were deposited in the Toshakhana, a treasury departmentresponsible for collecting and keeping such gifts.
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According to the rules, recipients of the gifts must pay a certain amountto the government if they wish to retain them; otherwise, they mustsurrender them to the Toshakhana.