The Punjab government suspended former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference, Aaj News reported on Tuesday.

The decision was taken by the government while exercising its constitutional powers under Section 401 of the Criminal Procedural Code (CPC). Section 401 also authorises the government to pardon any offender, it was reported.

Avenfield, Al-Azizia references: Nawaz Sharif arrives before IHC

The approval was given through a circulation summary.

In 2018, Nawaz was sentenced to 10 and seven years in prison in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, respectively.

The three-time former prime minister was declared a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases over non-compliance after he went to London for medical treatment with the court’s permission in November 2019.

On Monday, the PML-N leader approached the IHC, seeking restoration of his appeals against the accountability court’s verdicts in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases.

The petitions filed through advocate Amjad Pervez prayed the court to hear the appeals on merit as earlier they were discarded for non-compliance when the former prime minister did not return from London after he was granted permission by the court in November 2019 to go abroad for medical treatment.

Nawaz arrived in Islamabad from Dubai on a charter plane on Saturday, ending his four-year self imposed exile.