ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to seven years in prison on Monday and fined $25 million on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated. "Appeal is our right, we will protest but will remain peaceful," former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who had succeeded Sharif last year, told reporters outside the courthouse. Sharif was ousted and disqualified from holding office by the Supreme Court in July 2017, and convicted in absentia a year later. Sharif denied the charges which he said were politically motivated. Five months ago, Sharif's PML-N lost a general election to the party of Imran Khan, the new prime minister whose anti-corruption campaign and street protests spurred the cases against Sharif.

Source: The Star December 24, 2018 10:07 UTC