17th July 2009 - Pakistan lifts ban on Sharif running for office (WP)

Following a high court decision in Pakistan exonerating opposition leader Nawaz Sharif of hijacking charges, Sharif, who at one point went into exile in Saudi Arabia and who is thought to be the most popular politician in Pakistan, can now stand for election to the post of Prime Minister, a post he held until President Musharraf seized power in 1999.