LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail here on Tuesday to serve seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

The three-time premier, who spent a night in Adialia jail in Rawalpindi after his conviction by the accountability court in Islamabad on Monday, was flown here on Tuesday morning by a special plane.

Mr Sharif was scheduled to be shifted to Lahore by a PIA flight from new Islamabad International Airport but there was a last-minute change in the plan as he was flown to Lahore by a special plane from old Benazir Bhutto Interna­tional Airport, located adjacent to the Nur Khan Base.

Due to Mr Sharif’s movement, the petrol pumps located near the old airport were closed which caused inconvenience to the public.

The schedule of shifting of Mr Sharif by a PIA flight was changed due to “security reasons”, according to sources. Upon reaching Lahore, Mr Sharif was brought to Kot Lakhpat jail amid tight security.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz workers gathered at Kot Lakhpat to express solidarity with their leader. Holding placards and portraits of Mr Sharif, they raised slogans in favour of their leader and against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government, saying they did not accept the “NAB-government unholy alliance” and rejected the verdict against Mr Sharif.

Charged PML-N activists stage protest outside prison

Police pushed the PML-N activists back following their effort to get closer to the vehicle carrying Mr Sharif. The moment his vehicle passed the workers they shouted, “Mian Sahib, we love you”.

Later, the workers led by MNA Pervaiz Malik staged a sit-in there for a while and criticised the police for “misbehaving” with them. Women workers were also present.

While jostling with police, Mr Malik and a few workers fell down. “Despite Shahbaz Sharif’s efforts police could not change their attitude. The police baton-charged the PML-N workers and stopped them from catching a glimpse of their leader,” said Mr Malik while talking to reporters.

He said police showed no regard for the people gathered here to express solidarity with their leader.

“When some of the workers fell, the police vehicles did not stop. Had other workers not helped them get away from the road, they might have been run over,” he said.

Apparently because of lack of coordination among the party leaders, a good number of workers reached Kot Lakhpat after Mr Sharif had been shifted to jail. They complained that they were told by the local leaders of the PML-N that Mr Sharif would arrive here at 2pm, but the authorities brought him here before 12 noon.

Birthday celebrated

The workers also held a cake-cutting ceremony on the road to celebrate Nawaz Sharif’s 69th birthday. A separate ceremony was held at the party’s Model Town office.

The charged workers stayed at Kot Lakhpat for a couple of hours and demanded that the authorities allow them to meet Mr Sharif.

Maryam Nawaz also wished her father “happy birthday” in a tweet: “For the prosperity of this country we need you. You live long and happy birthday to you.”

Mr Sharif has been shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail at his own request. Soon after the conviction in the Al-Azizia reference, his lawyers Khawaja Haris Ahmed and Zubair Khalid filed an application with the court requesting it to shift Mr Sharif to Kot Lakhpat jail instead of Adiala jail as he was a heart patient and his personal physicians and family lived in Lahore. The prosecution opposed the application saying Adiala jail had been notified by the federal government for keeping the convicts of Islamabad courts. The judge accepted the plea and said since he had convicted him (Sharif) and was sending him to jail, therefore, it was his discretion to decide it.

Better Class

Meanwhile, the Punjab home department has directed the inspector general prisons to provide “Better Class” to Mr Sharif in jail. “In exercise of powers under Rule 242 of Pakistan Prisons Rules 1978, approval of government of Punjab is hereby accorded for grant of ‘Better’ Class jail facilities in favour of convicted person namely Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif s/o Mian Muhammad Sharif,” the order says.

The “Better Class” prisoners are provided a mattress, a study table and a chair in addition to a TV set and newspaper. Mr Sharif has also been given the facility to have meals from home.

Mr Sharif has been kept in the barracks where his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, opposition leader in the National Assembly, is also languishing in the Ashiyana housing case on judicial remand.

Mr Sharif was sent back to jail on Monday after being sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years along with a fine of Rs1.5 billion and $25 million in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills/ Hill Metal Establishment reference, while he was acquitted in the Flagship Investment reference.

The accountability court also barred him from holding public office for 10 years after completing the sentence.

It also ordered confiscation of Hill Metal Establishment and issued perpetual warrants of arrest for his sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz.

Mr Sharif’s lawyers said they would challenge the verdict in the high court while the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) announced moving the court against the acquittal of Mr Sharif in the Flagship Investment reference.

Mr Sharif was earlier awarded 10 years jail on July 6 and sent to Adiala jail in the Avenfield property case along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz (seven years) and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar (one year).

Later, the Islamabad High Court suspended their sentence and they were released on Sept 19 after spending 63 days in the prison.

The corruption references were filed in the court against the Sharif family following revelations of their offshore holdings in the Panama Papers in 2016.

Mohammad Asghar from Rawalpindi also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2018