The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reinstated the appeals of Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), challenging his conviction in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases by accountability courts. Nawaz Sharif, who had been in self-imposed exile since 2019, left for London during his seven-year jail term on medical grounds and returned to Pakistan on October 21.

The IHC, with Chief Justice Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb presiding, announced its verdict on Nawaz Sharif's pleas against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases.

Nawaz Sharif arrived at the Islamabad High Court with strict security measures in place, accompanied by several prominent members of the PML-N, including Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Ishaq Dar, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Parvez Rasheed, and Marriyum Aurangzeb.

During the proceedings, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor argued that appeals against the accountability court's verdicts in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases had been filed, emphasizing that these appeals could not be withdrawn, and they must be decided on merit. The NAB had no objections if the appeals were accepted.

Advocate Amjad Parvez, in his arguments, cited the court's previous verdict acquitting Maryam Nawaz in the Avenfield case, which stated that NAB had failed to establish a direct link between Avenfield properties and Nawaz Sharif.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the IHC reserved its verdict on Nawaz Sharif's pleas.

Nawaz Sharif is currently on protective bail in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases. He had previously been convicted in the Avenfield case, receiving a 10-year jail term, an eight million Pounds fine, and a 10-year disqualification from holding public office. In 2019, his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference was suspended by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on medical grounds, allowing him to travel to London for medical treatment.