Retired military personnel termed the accountability court verdict in Avenfield properties against the ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter as 'expected' but added that it took almost 10 months for the verdict while this time was used by Nawaz Sharif to embed his 'flawed' narrative in the minds of his supporters. And now he is busy selling the 'flawed' perception that his conviction is not on corruption charges, they said.
Defence analysts concurred and stated that Nawaz Sharif succeeded in politicizing the Panama papers hearings quite successfully and 'buried the truth'. Sharif's defense, they added, was not inside but outside the courtroom.
Retired personnel who support Nawaz Sharif termed the decision unjust and politically motivated and contended that NAB was unable to prove corruption and money laundering on the accused while the verdict was based on insufficient proof submitted by Nawaz and Maryam in their defence; or in other words the accused did not prove their innocence, hence were assumed to be guilty.