Ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appeared before an anti-corruption court, kicking off trial proceedings that he says are biased and which threaten to dent his party's chances at the next general election due in mid-2018.
Sharif briefly appeared before a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court in Islamabad on three corruption charges. He did not enter a plea.
Local TV channels reported that Sharif is scheduled to be formally indicted on October 2, about two months after his disqualification by the Supreme Court for not declaring a small source of income that he denied receiving.
A Supreme Court panel has also alleged Sharif family's wealth far exceeds their legal income.
"He has appeared before the court and by appearing he has proved to be a lion," said Marvi Memom, an MP for Sharif's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)party.
Sharif, who returned from London on Monday after about a month in Britain, told the court his wife was being treated for cancer in London and needs his care.
Sharif has portrayed the corruption claims against him as politically motivated, while his allies, including daughter and heir-apparent Maryam, have hinted Pakistan's powerful military had a hand in his toppling. The military denies any such action.
"It's a good thing that finally NAB and such institutions are holding the rich and powerful to (account)," said Shafqat Mahmood, a senior members of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
PTI, led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan who doggedly pushed the Supreme Court into launching a corruption probe into Sharif, has called for an early election but it is unlikely the government will agree to that.
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