Pakistan’s former PM released on parole for wife's funeral

Islamabad : Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter have been temporarily released on parole for the funeral of his wife, government and party sources said yesterday. Kulsoom Nawaz died of cancer in London on Tuesday, two months after her husband and daughter returned to Pakistan and were immediately jailed for corruption.

Handout pictures released by PML-N on Wednesday showed Sharif and his daughter Maryam aboard a plane after their release late Tuesday and arriving in the city of Lahore, where the former first lady’s funeral will be held. The pair “have initially been released for 12 hours to attend the funeral but the release can be extended by the home department”, an official at Rawalpindi central jail told AFP. Local media reported the funeral would be held on Friday, with their parole likely to last until after the service concluded.