ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that he cannot be expected to smile when he wasn’t even allowed to cry.
This informal remark came as a curious reporter asked him why he has stopped smiling. He was referring to his recent public appearances in which the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader sported a sombre mood.
Later, Nawaz seemed apologetic for his impromptu remark and as he sat in his car said that the remark was rather direct but it reflected the turbulent state of his heart.
Nawaz has been indicted in three references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against members of the Sharif family in line with the Supreme Court’s (SC) order of July 28 last year.
In September 2017, the trial against the Sharif family commenced. On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference.
An accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to a total of 11 years in prison and slapped a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) in the corruption reference while his daughter Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine (Rs335 million). Additionally, Nawaz’s son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar was given a one-year sentence without any fine.
However, the jail sentences were later suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
