Nawaz Sharif set to return to jail as 6-week bail expires
Lahore: Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Kot Lakhpat Jail here on Tuesday following the expiry of his six-week bail in a corruption case in which he has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
The three-time former premier is expected to surrender himself to jail authorities in evening after Iftar and will arrive at the prison in a PML(N) workers' rally, which will be led by his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
Sharif, 69, was granted six-week interim bail by the top court on March 26 in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case to undergo medical treatment and he filed the petition on April 27 for permanent bail stating that he was suffering from acute anxiety and depression.
The bail expired Tuesday as the Supreme court rejected his review petition seeking extension in the bail granted to him on medical grounds. The court also rejected the former premier's plea to allow him to travel abroad for treatment.
"Nawaz Sharif will return to Kot Lakhpat Jial Lahore on Tuesday in a procession of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers. A call has been given to the workers to gather at the Jati Umra residence of Sharif to march towards the jail along with him," PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told PTI on Monday. She said the PML-N workers are eager to come to roads against Prime Minister Imran Khan's anti-people policies and they are waiting a call from the leadership.
Aurangzeb said that Maryam will accompany her father, and will be present in his car. The party has decided that she will remain with her father until he is taken into custody by the jail authorities.
The Home Department Punjab earlier instructed Sharif to reach Kot Lakhpat Jail by 5 pm on Tuesday, and said his arrival in the form of a rally would be against the law.
Protesting against the instructions, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah told Geo News that Sharif's bail is valid till the midnight of May 7, and questioned why he should have to reach the jail anytime before that.
Sharif, three-time prime minister, has been serving a seven-year prison term at the jail since December 24, 2018 when an accountability court convicted him in one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case. He was imprisoned in Adiyala Jail and shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail on his request
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West Asia crisis: MEA establishes control room to assist Indians
New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a control room to assist those affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia.
The MEA has said almost one crore Indian citizens live in West Asia and their safety and well-being is of "utmost priority" for New Delhi.
As the Iran-US conflict widened, the Indian embassy in Iran moved hundreds of Indian students from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations.
"A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region," the MEA said on Wednesday.
"The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at: 1800118797 (Toll Free) +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104, +91 11 2301 7905," it added.
The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The MEA on Tuesday noted that almost one crore Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region, and their "safety and well-being is of utmost priority."
"We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," it said.
The MEA said New Delhi will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest, adding it is in touch with the governments in the region as well as other key partners.
A Special Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. Details are as below ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 4, 2026
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