Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wasaccused of corruption after a probe into his family wealth, and has been disqualified by Pakistan Supreme Court. The court passed the judgment on Friday and has ordered a criminal investigation of his family. The dismissal of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, a close ally of Sharif, has come as an added shock to the party.

Sharif’s family had been asked to account for their expansive wealth, which they failed to produce a record for, resulting in the decision of Sharif’s dismissal as Prime Minister. The court had stated unanimously that Sharif was unfit to hold office.

Sharif's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N),that holds a majority in the parliament is to name a new prime minister till next year’s elections.

While supporters of the opposition party, PTI held demonstrations against Sharif, his supporters continued to hold their stance that this was a conspiracy against their leader. Sharif had vehemently denied all the allegations against him and his family.

Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm, leaked over 11.5 million secret documentsa couple of years ago, which brought to light the offshore dealings of the world’s rich and influential; and fueled the controversy around Sharif.Shariff’s three children; Maryam, Hasan, and Hussein were also believed to be involved in these secret dealings.

One of the primary speculations is; whether or not the funds used by the Sharif family to purchase expensive properties in London through offshore companies were legit. However, his party has repeatedly said that the wealth was legal, earned through businesses owned by the Sharif family in Pakistan and the Gulf.

Share This Post