Pakistan's Sharif wins another graft appeal ahead of elections

A Pakistan high court on Tuesday quashed a graft conviction against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for the second time since he returned from self-imposed exile.

Sharif left the country four years ago to seek medical treatment in the United Kingdom, part way through a jail sentence and after being disqualified for life from politics.

He returned in October to lead his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to polls due in February and was granted bail in several corruption cases ahead of appeal hearings.

"The sham cases created to disqualify a sitting Prime Minister are finally meeting their fate," said his brother Shehbaz Sharif, also a former prime minister, confirming Islamabad High Court's decision.

The case related to investments in steel companies.

The same court last month acquitted Nawaz over corrupt practices linked to his family's purchase of upscale London flats.

Sharif was last ousted from office and barred from politics by the Supreme Court in 2017 for failing to declare parts of his income.

Earlier this year, a government led by Shehbaz passed legislation dictating court disqualifications of parliamentarians could only last for five years, paving the way for his return.

Senior PML-N official Khawaja Asif said there are now no cases against Nawaz and Tuesday's acquittal will "restore his reputation" among the public.

"Today's decision will matter a lot when people will go to the ballot box," he told AFP.

Sharif, who has been prime minister three times but has never completed a full term, has always maintained the charges against him were politically motivated.

His fortunes, which have risen and fallen on his relationship with Pakistan's military establishment, are once again on the up with his primary opponent Imran Khan ousted from power last year and in jail facing a trial on charges of leaking state documents.

Khan, a former cricketing superstar, also claims the more than 200 cases against him are designed to keep him from contesting elections after he fell out with the generals -- the country's true kingmakers who have ruled directly for more than half of Pakistan's history and continue to enjoy immense power.

Nawaz Sharif's younger brother Shehbaz came to power in a coalition that ousted Khan.