Pak court acquits ex-PM in 37-year-old ‘bribe’ case

Lahore: A Pakistani court on Saturday acquitted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a 37-year-old case related to him allegedly transferring a “precious state land” to one of the country’s leading media house owner as a “bribe”.

The court ruling came days after the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger

brother of Nawaz Sharif, made crucial amendments to laws to lift the life-long ban on politicians.

Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court. In 2018, he became ineligible to hold public

office for life after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.

“An Accountability Court in Lahore acquitted three-time premier Nawaz Sharif in a case related to illegal transfer of 54-kanal (6.75 acres) precious state land to Jang/Geo media group owner Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman in Lahore while he was the chief minister of Punjab 37 years ago,” a court official told PTI.