The Lahore High Court on Monday disposed of NAB petitions against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz. The court declared the petitions infructuous. Both cases were linked to corruption references and past bail orders.
During the hearing, NAB prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua said Shehbaz Sharif had already been acquitted in 2023. He noted that the Ashiana Housing and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases were closed. In light of these acquittals, the NAB petition had lost relevance.
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Similarly, the petition against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also disposed of. Janjua informed the court that she had already been acquitted in the relevant NAB case. The court accepted this and declared the petition ineffective.
The LHC bench, headed by Justice Amjad Rafiq, heard both cases together. NAB had originally filed Shehbaz’s petition in 2020, seeking his return from abroad. Maryam’s case involved the Chaudhry Sugar Mills reference, with prior bail granted by the court.
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This decision reinforces the acquittals of both leaders in high-profile NAB cases. Legal observers say the rulings reduce pending accountability proceedings against them. The cases highlight ongoing scrutiny of political figures under Pakistan’s anti-corruption framework.