ISLAMABAD, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani court on Wednesday suspended conviction of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ordered his release on bail, months after he was sentenced 10 years in prison for corruption, court officials and lawyers said.
The Islamabad High Court also ordered the release of Sharif's daughter Maryam and her husband, retired army captain Mohammad Safdar in the verdict, which is seen a major morale boost for the opposition Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party following its defeat in the general elections in July. Maryam was sentenced to jail for seven years.
The court had also imposed a penalty of 10.5 million U.S. dollars on Sharif, ordered confiscation of Sharif's apartments in Park Lane neighborhood of London to be handed over to the Pakistani government.
Sharif, who is currently serving in a jail near Islamabad, had sought suspension of the sentence in the court.
Pakistan Supreme Court had dismissed Sharif as prime minister in July 2017 over corruption allegations and ordered the anti-corruption watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to initiate proceedings against him and his family. Sharif was also barred from politics for life.
NAB had approached the Supreme Court to stop the Islamabad High Court from hearing Sharif's appeal but the application was rejected.
