LAHORE: Just one month remains until the general elections. On Monday, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriot paid a visit to Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and helped the three-time former prime minister get cleared in a number of cases.
Matters of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting in Lahore, which was also attended by party President Shehbaz Sharif and Chief Organizer Maryam Nawaz. The British diplomat described the votes scheduled for February 8 as “important” in terms of the future of the nation.
In the meantime, the leader of the PML-N emphasized the important role that British-Pakistanis play in bilateral relations and described trade and investment between the two nations as an urgent necessity.
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The meeting takes place against the backdrop of Nawaz’s triumphant legal battles. Since his self-imposed four-year exile from the UK in October 2023, the former premier has been able to obtain significant relief from the courts in a number of graft cases.
Nawaz, who is running for the nation’s chief executive position for a record-breaking fourth time, was found not guilty in the Avenfield Apartments reference case in November 2023. This case involved allegations of graft, for which he was found guilty and sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison as well as a fine of £8 million (roughly Rs1.3 billion). The conviction stemmed from his ownership of assets beyond known sources of income.
