Sharif's son-in-law was detained after his rally

Mohammad Safdar, son-in-law of Nawaz Sharif, conducts a rally in Rawalpindi on Sunday. AP / PTI

Islamabad, July 8

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law was arrested on Sunday as he resurfaced in the city of Rawalpindi to lead a rally of supporters, two days after being sentenced to prison in a corruption case related to the Panama Papers scandal.
Captain (Ret'd) Muhammad Safdar, his wife Maryam and Sharif were sentenced to prison on Friday in the Avenfield Properties case.
The Islamabad court sentenced Sharif, 68, to 10 years in prison in absentia for holding badets beyond income and one year for failing to cooperate with the anti-corruption authority , the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The sentences will be cumulative, which means that the former prime minister will serve 10 years in prison.
Sharif's 44-year-old daughter, co-accused Maryam, was sentenced to seven years in prison and one year of non-cooperation with NAB, which was to take place simultaneously. Safdar was jailed for a year of rigorous imprisonment for not cooperating with the NAB. He went into hiding after the verdict.
NAB officials arrested Safdar after he participated in a rally in Rawalpindi. About 3,000 people were around the vehicle in which NAB officials took the son-in-law of the former prime minister.
Earlier today, in an audio message, Safdar said that he would surrender to authorities today because "the honor demands it".
Safdar was to challenge the upcoming polls on a National Assembly and a seat of the provincial badembly of Mansehra. After the verdict, Safdar and his wife can no longer stand for election. Sharif has already been disqualified for life by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers scandal. – PTI