A timeline of Nawaz Sharif's journey from conviction to homecoming

Three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday returned to Pakistan today (Saturday) after a four-year-long self-imposed exile in London, in a grand welcome by his party — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The PML-N supremo was elected for the third time in a triumphant return in the general election of 2013.

However, his last term as the premier was scarred by upheavals, starting with the then-opposition-led months-long blockade of Islamabad and ending with his disqualification by the Supreme Court in 2017 for an unclaimed salary from the company of his son.

Nawaz was forced to tender his resignation shortly afterwards.

Here is a timeline of events from the former PM's conviction in the Avenfield case, his exit from the country, and his return to Pakistan.

6 July 2018: Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in jail upon conviction in the Avenfield reference along with a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion). The former prime minister was convicted in absentia as he was in London at that time to look after his ailing wife.

13 July 2018: Nawaz and his daughter, now PML-N’s Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz, were arrested upon their arrival in Lahore from London.

16 July 2018: The Sharifs filed appeals in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the Avenfield verdict to be overturned.

19 September 2018: The Sharifs got major relief as the IHC ordered the release of Nawaz, Maryam and Captain Muhammad Safdar while temporarily suspending the sentences awarded to them in the graft case.

24 December 2018: Nawaz got another blow as a NAB court awarded him a seven-year jail term and a fine of Rs1.5 billion in the Al-Azizia sugar mills reference. He was arrested from the courtroom after the accountability court judge announced the verdict in the graft case filed in light of the Supreme Court's 2016 Panamagate verdict. With the verdict came Nawaz’s disqualification to hold any public office for a period of 10 years.

1 January 2019: The PML-N supremo challenged the Al Azizia case verdict as well in the IHC.

25 October 2019: While serving his sentence in the Al-Azizia case, Nawaz was diagnosed with an immune system disorder and doctors advised him to go abroad for medical treatment.

26 October 2019: Nawaz got an interim bail in the sugar mills reference on medical grounds on PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s plea for an early hearing on the disposition of the former premier’s sentence due to his deteriorating health.

29 October 2019: The IHC granted Nawaz an eight-week bail in the Al-Azizia case in view of his deteriorating health. The court also ordered that if his condition does not improve in eight weeks, the party can approach the Punjab provincial authorities for a bail extension on the basis of a medical report.

8 November 2019: Shehbaz requested the Interior Ministry to remove Nawaz's name from the Exit Control List (ECL) for travelling abroad for treatment.

13 November 2019: The then-government announced that Nawaz will be given "one-time" permission to travel abroad for his medical treatment for a period of four weeks. It further said the permission would be subject to the Sharif family submitting an indemnity bond "to the tune of Rs7-7.5 billion". However, Shehbaz challenged the government’s condition of furnishing indemnity bonds in the Lahore High Court (LHC) and sought the removal of Nawaz's name from the ECL.

16 November 2019: Giving a verdict in the PMl-N’s favour, the LHC allowed Nawaz to travel abroad for four weeks and ordered the government to remove his name from the no-fly list without imposing any conditions, after the ex-PM assured the court of his return within the specified time in a court-approved undertaking. The court allowed Nawaz to leave the country for a period of four weeks, which was extendable on the basis of medical reports.

19 November 2019: Nawaz left for London from Lahore in an air ambulance.

1 September 2020: The IHC ordered the former prime minister to surrender and appear in court, saying that his bail had lapsed on February 27.

15 September 2020: The court issued Nawaz’s non-bailable arrest warrants over non-compliance of the orders.

2 December 2020: Nawaz was declared a “proclaimed offender” in both cases for “deliberately” not returning to the country and appearing before the court, despite the notices, arrest warrants and advertisements.

1 February 2022: It was the last time — until this month — when a medical report was submitted to the LHC for further extension in Nawaz's stay abroad, in which the doctors advised him against travelling.

12 September 2023: Shehbaz revealed the date of October 21 for Nawaz's return to Pakistan to lead the party's political campaign, as the country inches towards the electoral process for the next general elections.

6 October 2023: A fresh medical report of the former premier was submitted to the LHC, stating that Nawaz needs nonstop monitoring owing to residual cardiac disease symptoms.

19 October 2023: Nawaz was granted protective bail in two graft cases, while an accountability court suspended his arrest warrant in the Toshakhana case, removing all the legal hurdles in his smooth return to the country.