The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended the sentences of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar Awan in the Avenfield case.
According to GeoNews, a two-judge bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the petition challenging the verdict in the Avenfield reference and suspended it due to lack of evidence in the case.
The bench ordered the release of the jailed former prime minister, his daughter, and son-in-law, who were jailed in July for eleven years, eight years and one year, respectively.
The court also directed the three persons, currently lodged in Adiala Jail, to submit bail bonds worth Rs 0.5 million each.
Several Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, Pervaiz Rashid, and Khurram Dastgir were present at the hearing.
Nawaz Sharif and Maryam were convicted in absentia in the Avenfield case on July 6 by the Accountability Court. Apart from serving jail sentences, fines of eight million pounds and two million pounds were slapped on the father-daughter duo, respectively.
Safdar, on the other hand, was given a one-year sentence but exempted from paying fine.