Pak's ousted PM Sharif returns home from UK to face trial

Pakistan's ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday returned home from London to face trial in the corruption cases spiralling from the Panama Papers scandal.

Sharif, 67, had to step down as the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after he was disqualified as the prime minister by the Supreme Court on July 28 in the scandal.

He went to London last month to be with his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz who is battling throat cancer.

Sharif was forced to come back to Pakistan after a bailable arrest warrant was issued by the Accountability Court on October 26 due to his non-appearance in two corruption cases related to the Panama Papers scandal.

State-run PTV footage showed Sharif stepping out of a Pakistan International Airline plane after it landed at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad.

He was received by senior leaders of ruling PML-N and held a brief consultation with the party leaders at the VIP lounge of the airport.

Later, he left in his private vehicle for Punjab House in Islamabad, where he was received by supporters and party workers. He is expected to hold extensive consultations throughout the day about court cases, political situation and party matters.

Sharif told media in London that he was going back to Pakistan to face "bogus cases" when he should be with his wife.

"These are bogus cases but I am going back to face them," he said.

The court would resume the hearing tomorrow. Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retired) Mohmmad Safdar have been summoned.

Maryam and Safdar have already been indicted in corruption cases filed against them by the country's anti-corruption body National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on the Supreme Court's instruction in the Panama Papers case.

Earlier, Accountability Court issued a bailable arrest warrant against Sharif after he failed to appear in the court in three corruption cases.

Three cases were registered by NAB on September 8 against Sharif, his children and son-in-law in the Accountability Court in Islamabad, following a verdict by the Supreme Court.

He was indicted in absence in three cases.