ISLAMABAD, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison in a corruption case in his absence, announced Friday that he would return to the country.
Nawaz Sharif, the three times prime minister, is currently in London to look after his wife Kulsoom Nawaz, who suffers from cancer and is getting treatment there.
The Accountability Court in Islamabad announced on Friday the verdict on corruption charges related to four flats in London, a prosecution lawyer Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said.
Speaking at a news conference following the guilty verdict, Nawaz Sharif described the court ruling as "politically motivated."
Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz, his political heir, was also awarded seven years for abetting the crime and one year for not cooperating with the NAB.
"I will return to the country to continue my struggle for the supremacy of the parliament and respect of the people's vote," Nawaz Sharif, who is also the former chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, said.
However, he did not announce any date for his return and said he is waiting for improvement in health condition of his wife.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan had removed Nawaz Sharif as prime minister last year over concealment of income from a company in UAE owned by his son. The apex court had also ordered the NAB to formally start investigation into assets of Nawaz Sharif and his family after their offshore companies were revealed by media last year.