ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif narrowly avoided a legal bid to force him out of office after the country's Supreme Court ruled Thursday against his disqualification on charges related to his family's offshore wealth.
The 3-2 ruling sparked a rally in the country's financial markets, with the Karachi Stock Exchange 100 index rising 1,254.37 points, or 2.64%, to close at 48,857.85 points. News of the pro-business prime minister's survival had earlier fueled a 1,909-point rise in the index as most listed stocks were briefly suspended after intra-day gains of 5%, before profit taking in late trading.