After a long absence: PM Nawaz returning home today
Will land in Lahore on a special PIA flight along with family members, cabinet members and PM office staff
PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is finally returning home after spending more than a month and a half recuperating from open heart surgery in Britain. He will be landing in Lahore today (Saturday).
"The prime minister will Insha'Allah be arriving tomorrow [Saturday] evening. Allah has been Kind. Indebted for your kind prayers and wishes," said the PM’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz in one of her tweets on Friday.
Special PIA aircraft to bring PM, camp office back to Pakistan
The premier went to London on May 22, underwent an open heart surgery on May 31 and remained hospitalised till June 7. Doctors had recently allowed him to travel back to Pakistan following speedy recovery. The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on Friday announced that the prime minister and his camp office, which was temporarily set up in London to oversee affairs of national importance, will be transported through a special airplane.
“Due to the prime minister’s health issues, the PM office had partly been shifted to London, where a camp office had been set up. Now that the prime minister has recovered after surgery and is allowed to travel, the whole camp office has to be moved back to Pakistan,” said the PIA’s spokesperson in a statement.
“On the PIA’s regular flights so many seats were not available due to which the only option was to dedicate an aircraft,” he added.
PML-N tight-lipped on date for Nawaz's return
According to sources in the PIA, a Boeing 777 has been dedicated for the purpose that departed for London Friday night. Over three dozen people, including family members, cabinet members and staff of the PM office, will accompany PM on the special flight.
A spokesperson also said no major flight delays would occur due to special arrangements made for the premier. However, handing a long-haul aircraft the task of bringing back the prime minister to Pakistan is expected to delay a PIA flight from New York to Lahore by one day, a PIA official told The Express Tribune.
"The emergent arrangement for a Boeing 777 aircraft to fly back to homeland the prime minister would cause delay a Lahore-bound PIA's flight from New York by about 15 hours," said an official of PIA on the condition of anonymity.
He said the flight was scheduled to take-off from New York on Saturday. However, now it has been rescheduled to fly on Sunday from there.
PTI’s reaction
In a statement issued on Friday, the PTI’s central information secretary Naeemul Haque said the whole cost of the flight should be recovered from the personal account of the prime minister rather the government of Pakistan.
Political bigwigs celebrate Eid away from home
PM’s reception at Lahore
Sources in PML-N said PM will arrive in Lahore in the evening before sunset. They said PML-N workers have not been invited to welcome him. However, cabinet ministers will be present at the airport.
“After arriving at Allama Iqbal Airport Lahore, the PM will go to his Raiwind residence in a chopper. The PM’s wife Kalsoom Nawaz, his personal staff and his nephews Hamza Shahbaz and Salman Shahbaz will also be with him,” a PML-N leader told The Express Tribune.
“The PM will spend time with his family and mother on the weekend. His official engagements will start from Monday. However, the final decision whether he will stay for some time in Lahore or move to Islamabad will be taken on his arrival,” said another PML-N leader, who recently met the PM in London.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2016.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is finally returning home after spending more than a month and a half recuperating from open heart surgery in Britain. He will be landing in Lahore today (Saturday).
"The prime minister will Insha'Allah be arriving tomorrow [Saturday] evening. Allah has been Kind. Indebted for your kind prayers and wishes," said the PM’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz in one of her tweets on Friday.
Special PIA aircraft to bring PM, camp office back to Pakistan
The premier went to London on May 22, underwent an open heart surgery on May 31 and remained hospitalised till June 7. Doctors had recently allowed him to travel back to Pakistan following speedy recovery. The national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on Friday announced that the prime minister and his camp office, which was temporarily set up in London to oversee affairs of national importance, will be transported through a special airplane.
“Due to the prime minister’s health issues, the PM office had partly been shifted to London, where a camp office had been set up. Now that the prime minister has recovered after surgery and is allowed to travel, the whole camp office has to be moved back to Pakistan,” said the PIA’s spokesperson in a statement.
“On the PIA’s regular flights so many seats were not available due to which the only option was to dedicate an aircraft,” he added.
PML-N tight-lipped on date for Nawaz's return
According to sources in the PIA, a Boeing 777 has been dedicated for the purpose that departed for London Friday night. Over three dozen people, including family members, cabinet members and staff of the PM office, will accompany PM on the special flight.
A spokesperson also said no major flight delays would occur due to special arrangements made for the premier. However, handing a long-haul aircraft the task of bringing back the prime minister to Pakistan is expected to delay a PIA flight from New York to Lahore by one day, a PIA official told The Express Tribune.
"The emergent arrangement for a Boeing 777 aircraft to fly back to homeland the prime minister would cause delay a Lahore-bound PIA's flight from New York by about 15 hours," said an official of PIA on the condition of anonymity.
He said the flight was scheduled to take-off from New York on Saturday. However, now it has been rescheduled to fly on Sunday from there.
PTI’s reaction
In a statement issued on Friday, the PTI’s central information secretary Naeemul Haque said the whole cost of the flight should be recovered from the personal account of the prime minister rather the government of Pakistan.
Political bigwigs celebrate Eid away from home
PM’s reception at Lahore
Sources in PML-N said PM will arrive in Lahore in the evening before sunset. They said PML-N workers have not been invited to welcome him. However, cabinet ministers will be present at the airport.
“After arriving at Allama Iqbal Airport Lahore, the PM will go to his Raiwind residence in a chopper. The PM’s wife Kalsoom Nawaz, his personal staff and his nephews Hamza Shahbaz and Salman Shahbaz will also be with him,” a PML-N leader told The Express Tribune.
“The PM will spend time with his family and mother on the weekend. His official engagements will start from Monday. However, the final decision whether he will stay for some time in Lahore or move to Islamabad will be taken on his arrival,” said another PML-N leader, who recently met the PM in London.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2016.