Pak court orders return of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's seized property, assets
Islamabad (PTI): In a temporary relief to Nawaz Sharif, an accountability court in Pakistan has ordered authorities to release all movable and immovable properties seized from the former prime minister in 2020 in connection with a corruption case.
Judge Muhammad Bashir of the Islamabad accountability court on Friday heard the Toshakhana corruption case against the 73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo who returned to Pakistan on October 21 after about four years of self-imposed exile in London, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
In 2020, an accountability court ordered the confiscation of the property owned by the former prime minister in the Toshakhana vehicles reference after he was declared an absconder by the Islamabad High Court.
Accountability judge Bashir was informed that since Sharif had surrendered and his warrant of arrest had been cancelled, the order for attachment of his properties may be withdrawn.
Misbahul Hasan Qazi, the counsel for Sharif, informed the judge that his client had gone abroad for his medical treatment with the permission of the high court.
However, a National Accountability Bureau case was filed against him and proceedings for attachment of his properties were initiated.
The Toshakhana case file against Sharif accuses him of obtaining a vehicle from Toshakhana (the gift depository) by paying 15 per cent of the price of the car. According to reports, Sharif was not holding any public office in 2008 but was given a vehicle without any justification.
A gift from any country to the head of the state and deposited in the Toshakhana remains the property of the government unless sold at an open auction. Rules allow officials to retain gifts with a market value of less than Rs10,000 without paying anything.
More than 1,650 canals (over 200 acres) of agricultural land, a Mercedes Benz car, a Land Cruiser, and other vehicles were confiscated by the three-time prime minister in 2020 after he was declared a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana case, according to the report.
The court had ordered the seizure after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted a report to an accountability court, providing complete details of Sharif's movable and immovable assets, during a hearing of the Toshakhana case.
Sharif had gone to London in 2019 after getting a medical bail following his conviction in the Avenfield Apartment and Al-Azizia corruption cases.
Ahead of Sharif's arrival in Pakistan, his legal team approached the Islamabad High Court, which granted him a protective bail until October 24 in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases. An anti-corruption court suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor contended that Sharif had surrendered, therefore, his arrest warrant should be cancelled. "If the warrants are cancelled, then the trial can move forward," he said.
The judge subsequently confirmed Sharif's bail in the case against surety bonds of Rs 1 million. The hearing of the case was adjourned till November 20.
The former premier is all set to lead the PML-N during the general elections, which are scheduled to be held on February 8. Earlier this month, he directed his party leaders to begin their preparations for the national elections.
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'Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane...': Tharoor takes dig at failed US-Iran talks in Pakistan
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New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday took a swipe at the "failed" US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan with an Urdu couplet, saying only god knows now what will happen.
"Ab kya hoga, ye rab jane; Na woh mane, na ye mane (only god knows what will happen now as both sides did not agree)," Tharoor said on X, tagging a post-talks video clip of US Vice President J D Vance, who led the American delegation at the negotiations in Islamabad.
The United States and Iran failed to reach a peace deal at their historic 21-hour talks in Pakistan, leaving the fate of a tenuous two-week ceasefire in doubt, with both sides attempting to hold each other responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.
अब क्या होगा, ये रब जाने
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) April 13, 2026
ना वो माने, ना ये माने https://t.co/DYrXpa7C8h
Vance said the Iranian side did not accept Washington's terms for ending the war even as the US presented its "final and best offer".
Hours after the talks collapsed, US President Donald Trump said on social media that the negotiations with Tehran failed as "Iran is unwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions".
Trump said the US Navy will actively interdict any vessel in international waters found to have paid tolls to Iran for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas).
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiation team, said it is for the US to decide whether it can "earn our trust or not".
The Iranian foreign ministry, without elaborating, said the US side resorted to "excessive" and "illegal demands".
The failure to reach an agreement has dimmed the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to stabilise the global energy marke
