Pakistan on a decisive juncture, says Nawaz before arrival
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ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, while en route to Pakistan, remarked Friday morning that Pakistan is on a decisive juncture.
“I have done all that I could. I know I have been sentenced for 10 years and that I will be taken straight to prison,” he said in a video message shared by his daughter Maryam Nawaz on social media.
The ousted premier, who can be seen sitting in an aeroplane in the video, further urged the people of Pakistan to support him.
“Please support me and walk with me at every step. We must change the country’s future. This opportunity will not come again,” he said.
“I have to tell the Pakistani nation that I am doing this for them. I am giving this sacrifice for your coming generations...for Pakistan’s future,” Nawaz added.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and his daughter, who had departed from London late Thursday, are expected to return to Pakistan today (Friday) and begin their jail sentence a week after being convicted in Avenfield properties reference.
They are presently in Abu Dhabi, from where they are expected to reach Lahore around 6pm.
On July 6, Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison and slapped a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) in the Avenfield properties reference while his daughter Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine (Rs335 million).
The sentences will run concurrently, which means Nawaz will serve 10 years in prison, while Maryam seven. Additionally, Nawaz's son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar has been given a one year sentence without any fine.
Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir announced the verdict today after several delays since morning.
APP/AFP
