Justice not being seen delivered in Nawaz Sharif’s case: Pakistan PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: While it is essential that courts deliver justice, it is also important that justice is “seen” to be delivered, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said on Friday, adding that it was not so in his predecessor, Nawaz Sharif’s case, who is embattled in multiple corruption cases.

"I always say, justice is not being seen to be delivered in this [Sharif's] case," he was quoted as saying by Dawn, in a TV interview.

Abbasi said "everyone else" is questioning today whether the biggest criminal of the country was Nawaz Sharif, whether so many references were ever filed against anyone else and whether anyone was disqualified on such "flimsy grounds".

"People ask 'if the former prime minister of a country cannot get justice from courts, then who will'?" Abbasi said.

He added that answers to these questions will transpire soon.

The former prime minister was disqualified from the post of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party chief by the country’s Supreme Court, on grounds that a person disqualified under Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution could not serve as the head of a political party.

The top court disqualified Sharif in the Panama Papers case last year under Article 62 of the Constitution for failing to declare a receivable salary as an asset.

An accountability court is also hearing the Flagship Investment reference case against the Sharif family.

Abbasi further said that government will implement court orders if Sharif is sent to prison.