Nawaz Sharif, Maryam on way to Pakistan, to be imprisoned at Rawalpindi Central jail

London : Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were on their way on Friday from London to Pakistan, where they face immediate arrest in the Avenfield properties case.

Upon their arrival at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport at 6.15 p.m., Maryam and Sharif will be arrested and will be taken to Islamabad by a helicopter to be imprisoned at the Rawalpindi Central jail, reports Dawn news.

The two Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders are returning to Pakistan to face a prison sentence handed out on July 6 by an accountability court in the Avenfield reference case, in which the judge ruled that Nawaz, Maryam and her husband Captain Safdar own assets beyond known income.

They were respectively handed jail sentences of 10, seven and one year each.

In a video message, tweeted by Maryam, the former leader urged his followers to stand with him and “change the fate of the country”.

“The country is at a critical juncture right now. I have done what I could. I am aware that I have been sentenced to 10 years (in prison) and I will be taken to a jail cell straight away.

“But I want the Pakistani nation to know that I am doing this for you,” Sharif said.

Maryam posted pictures on Twitter before their departure.

In one picture, the father and daughter are seen bidding a teary farewell to Kulsoom Nawaz, who is said to be comatose and admitted at a London hospital.

Published on: July 13, 2018 at 12:02 IST

IANS