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Pakistani Opposition Leader Maryam Nawaz Granted Bail

RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal

   A Pakistani court has granted bail to opposition leader Maryam Nawaz,
   who is facing money-laundering charges.

   The Lahore High Court on November 4 ordered the deputy leader of the
   Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party to post a roughly 10
   million-rupee ($64,500) bond and hand her passport over.

   Nawaz was detained in early August by the country's anti-corruption
   National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a case regarding business
   transactions at a sugar factory -- Chaudry Sugar Mills -- where she was
   one of the major shareholders.

   On October 24, she filed a petition for bail on humanitarian grounds
   after her jailed father, PML-N founder and former Prime Minister Nawaz
   Sharif, was rushed to a hospital amid a deterioration of his health.

   An Islamabad court on October 29 suspended Sharif's conviction on
   corruption charges for two months to allow for medical treatment.

   The 69-year-old Sharif, a three-time prime minister, and his daughter
   have denied the charges against them, saying they are politically
   motivated.