Shehbaz released from jail after nearly seven months

Surety bonds deposited earlier today, jail officials received release orders

LAHORE:

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was released from Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat prison after nearly seven months on Friday.

A referee bench of the Lahore High Court had granted post-arrest bail to the opposition leader in the National Assembly in the money laundering case on Thursday.

Shehbaz was released from jail after submitting two surety bonds worth Rs5 million each.

PML-N's Hamza Shehbaz, Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, other leaders as well as scores of workers were present outside the jail.

The PML-N president was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in September 2020 after the LHC rejected his bail plea in the money laundering case.

Also Read Referee judge to decide Shehbaz's bail matter

He was taken into custody from the court’s premises, where a large number of PML-N leaders and workers had gathered ahead of the hearing.

A referee bench of the LHC ruled in favour of granting bail to the PML-N president, disagreeing with Justice Asjad Javed Ghural’s dissenting note to the decision of Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar.

The three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and comprising Justice Aalia Neelum and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, gave a unanimous verdict.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had tweeted that her uncle had finally been given justice.

"Every time Shehbaz Sharif sahib was arrested, his only crime was loyalty to Nawaz Sharif," she said. “If you want to challenge Shehbaz, do it in his service to the public. [Such] services cannot be challenged through false cases.”