Pakistan’s ousted premier Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday claimed that the infamous Adiala Jail was already being prepared for him and alleged that three members of the joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe his family’s business dealings abroad were his “worst political opponents.”
Mr. Sharif (68) made the remarks after appearing before an accountability court in Islamabad in a corruption case concerning his family’s Avenfield properties, reports AP citing Dawn.
“House cleaning has already begun in Adiala Jail. Do they know in advance that somebody is coming?” Mr. Sharif asked.
The Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi is an infamous prison where Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhavi was kept.
Mr. Sharif and some of his family members are facing charges relating to their ownership of posh properties in London. He resigned as Prime Minister in July last after the Supreme Court disqualified him over undeclared income.
Three cases were registered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Mr. Sharif, his children and son-in-law in the court on September 8.
The political future of Mr. Sharif has been hanging in the balance since his ouster. If convicted, he could be jailed.
His family alleges that the cases are politically motivated.
Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Sharif said the reality of the JIT’s investigative report is being revealed.
“You know that the facts that went in our favour were [deliberately] hidden by the JIT,” he alleged. “You already know what has come out of Wajid Zia’s mouth and, in a way, he has given us a certificate [of innocence],” he further claimed.
Though the Sharif family has kept up a narrative that Mr. Zia, the prosecution’s star witness and head of the JIT, has considerably weakened the case by failing to hold up to cross-questioning, the PML-N’s opponents say the court’s proceedings have been misconstrued by the PML-N to present a distorted picture to give Mr. Sharif’s supporters false hopes, the paper said.