Pakistan

Back home, PM Nawaz strikes a defiant note

Sit-ins will not resolve any problem, premier reminds foes.

Ali Usman July 10, 2016

PHOTO: AFP

LAHORE: Faced with threats of street agitation from key opposition parties, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif struck a defiant note on Saturday, saying his administration was committed to its development agenda and that sit-ins would not resolve any problem.

The prime minister returned home after spending 48 days in London where he underwent an open-heart surgery. Speaking to TV anchors in a brief chat after a special PIA flight carrying him and his spouse Kulsoom Nawaz landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport, the premier advised opposition to let good things happen in the country.

“I’m as healthy as before and will continue working for the country,” he said. “The opposition should also serve the country,” he said.

Special PIA aircraft to bring PM, camp office back to Pakistan

Though he did not name any party, his political arch nemesis, Imran Khan, has warned of setting off a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf movement against the government after Eidul Fitr.

The largest political group, the Pakistan Peoples Party, has also given its workers and cadres heads-up for a countrywide campaign against corruption.

The two opposition parties started building pressure on the government after the two sides failed to agree on a mode of inquiry into the Panama Papers’ revelations that hundreds of Pakistani politicians, including the Sharif family, and businessmen have secreted their money in an offshore tax haven.

Responding to a question, the prime minister said he had been performing his official responsibilities during his stay in London and has returned home with a new vigour. Those who met Nawaz at the airport said he looked relaxed. “He looked calm and composed,” one official told The Express Tribune. “He seemed to have lost some weight after the surgery, but otherwise he looks in pretty good shape.”

The top PML-N leaders who turned up at the airport to receive the prime minister included his brother Shahbaz Sharif, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Abid Sher Ali and Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana. The prime minister had travelled to London on May 22 and underwent an open heart surgery on May 31. He was discharged from the hospital on June 6 but he stayed in London until medics cleared him for air travel.

PM Nawaz returns home after successful heart surgery in London

From the airport, Premier Nawaz went straight to his home in Raiwind on the edge of Lahore. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz, shared on her Twitter handle the moments of his arrival at his residence. The video as well as the images she shared showed the prime minister’s mother kissing and embracing him. “Much awaited homecoming. Shukar Alhamdolillah. (Thanks Allah). Mother’s prayers change the fate,” she said in her tweets.

Much awaited homecoming ...... Shukar Alhamdolillah! pic.twitter.com/XlAT45f5jk
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 9, 2016

Maa ki duaein ..... Taqdeer badal deti hain ..... ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OGFxau55KO
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 9, 2016

Shahbaz Sharif thanked the nation for praying for the recovery of his brother. “Our mission is to serve the people of Pakistan. The country will be put on the road to prosperity and development under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif,” he said in a message issued by his media cell.

It’s unclear whether the prime minister will immediately resume his official engagements. “He will spend time with family on Sunday and some party aides might also call on him,” one PML-N leader told The Express Tribune. “It will be decided in a couple of days whether the prime minister should stay in Lahore for a few weeks or go to Islamabad to take up his official responsibilities,” he said, requesting not to be named in the report.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2016.

COMMENTS (29)

Faisal Hamid | 8 years ago | Reply What kind of people are they, they make false promises at the time of so called fair elections. They induct their own people (mostly in-capable) within government departments, keeping the merit on the paper work only. Therefore, government departments get involved into favoritism, hence their code of conduct left behind every action they took using their powers. Hence, the system get corrupted, all of them start looting money, get involved in face saving, making common people fool. The people of this country have been deprived from their common needs for life such as health & safety, single method of education for all, options of earning clean money to manage life matters etc. Question is why should people of this country have their common needs for life, because the largest setup of people who make school of thoughts of common people have always been talking about the importance of life after death. Which means, this life has no significance, if that is true, then the leaders of this country is on the right track. If there is a significance of this life on earth for common people, then why those school of thought making people remains silent? Who are these people? Where they came from? Who installed them within the system of this country? Who’s agenda are the applying on the common people of this country? These questions are very legitimate and should be considered as “Fruit for Thought”. I said Fruit instead of Food, because Fruit is one kind of Food and it is easily digestible.

NDA | 8 years ago | Reply @Hasan: Don't be angry. There is a solution. And it is on the floor of the National Assembly and the Senate. Say or do what ever is to be done or said there. It is civilized and legal. Political leaders do not provoke people to come onto the streets and ruin whatever developmental work has been done.

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Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply @NDA So YOU still want to put ur trust in someone who has stayed more days OUTSIDE PAKISTAN, has his personal wealth OUTSIDE PAKISTAN and puts his trust in doctors OUTSIDE PAKISTAN ? Then Sir your trust also belongs not in Pakistan but OUTSIDE PAKISTAN.

Raj - USA | 8 years ago | Reply If Army is conspiring and trying to overthrow Nawaz Sharif, they do not know what is awaiting them. Modi/India and Obama/USA are behind Nawaz Sharif for the one and only reason that both do not want to see army taking over Pakistan again. If army generals and some opportunists want to become adventurous, they will see what happened in 1971 in Dhaka will happen this time in Lahore. If Nawaz Sharif has to go, it should happen through elections only and also that the army should not have any open or clandestine role in administering or manipulating the elections.

Haji Atiya | 8 years ago | Reply @Esel: Oh yeah ? According to a bestseller by one of our former leading diplomats, Nawaz Sharif has a very short attention span and is wanting in the manners and basic courtesy dept.

Azad Khial | 8 years ago | Reply Welcome home Mr Prime Minister. We are behind you on your economic growth and development agenda. Please keep pushing on that. The rest will take care of itself. Pakistan is slowly coming into its own over the last 3 years of your tenure. Keep going. You will have many more.

salman | 8 years ago | Reply @NDA: Telling the truth about how those Mayfair flats were bought is only an uphill task if trying to turn a lie into a truth. Unfortunately our democracy ia not yet strong enough to have the proper checks and balances to deal with such corruption...

salman | 8 years ago | Reply @Tin Tin: Lol. Asking for the truth about Panama is not hating. And what good work?

Mr Obvious | 8 years ago | Reply The prime minister returned home after spending 48 days in London where he underwent an open-heart surgery. . Open-heart surgery is very common these days - average patient spends about 5 days in the hospital and is sent home. Nobody spends 48 days in hospital or bedridden after open heart surgery - and nobody charters a commercial airliner to bring him home after surgery. He could/should have had the surgery performed in Pakistan and saved the taxpayers some money .... but that would have required demonstrating some courage/leadership something that is obviously missing. I had high hopes for Sharif but those hopes are now gone - his only claim to fame is the economy but even that positive can be attributed to lower oil prices and I give credit to the American's for that. His administration would be a total disaster had the oil prices remained high.

Gramscian | 8 years ago | Reply @Last Man Alive: He can strike a defiant tone or whatever tone he likes, but he and family must be held accountable for Panama, as well others whose names are in Panama Papers.

NDA | 8 years ago | Reply Imran Khan is chipping at Nawaz's legitimacy. It is an uphill task for the latter to sustain it and repair the loss . Nawaz has to do some extra work to restore his position and trust of people in him and his office. Much of what Imran Khan says is a lie and hearsay , but democracy (unfortunately) allows for it so he keeps saying it.

Faisal Hamid | 8 years ago | Reply I have a real life example of such people, specially living in Lahore. When such people mistakes came into limelight, they use to take shelter behind the curtain.

Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply @LastManAlive Very true! Their home is actually London. Pakistan is just a place they stay to make money.

Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply PAKISTANI PEOPLE will no longer believe the promises of altaf, zardaris, bhuttos or sharifs who have UNTOLD HIDDEN WEALTH OUTSIDE PAKISTAN. PANAMA LEAKS is just one of the leaked sources. The Pakistani People know nothing yet of hundreds of other hidden panama leaks which is actually grafts and commissions made in THE NAME OF THE PAKISTANI PEOPLE.

A J Khan | 8 years ago | Reply Nawaz is committed to save his empire of corruption at cost of Pakistan.

Esel | 8 years ago | Reply This nation will reach new heights under Nawaz. Those asking for his resignation should tender their own resignations first.

qaiser ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply “It will be decided in a couple of days whether the prime minister should stay in Lahore for a few weeks or go to Islamabad to take up his official responsibilities,” ... I am sure they claimed earlier that he was carrying on his official responsibilities, while he was in London. These guys should make up their minds. The reality is that this guy is now going to stay at home, so he does not have to go to the parliament, nor face the sit-ins, which the opposition parties are planning. Only in Pakistan.

khadar basha | 8 years ago | Reply Wish him speedy recovery and serve the country with renewed vigor.

kfaisal | 8 years ago | Reply Buy a better wheel chair ! There are many innovative models and user friendly designs which are much more comfortable. Surprised to see them using a wheel chair which is like a sohrab cycle.

Adil | 8 years ago | Reply shameless, period.

Ch. K. A. Nye | 8 years ago | Reply @Last Man Alive: Haha hahaha... Good one... And so very true...

Haji Atiya | 8 years ago | Reply 'Development Agenda': self-enrichment and aggrandizement at and on public expense. Yes, sit-ins may or may not resolve any problems but your exit stage left would certainly do the trick !

Tin Tin | 8 years ago | Reply Keep up the good work. Let haters hate

Raghu | 8 years ago | Reply I hope the PM has a nice and productive visit to Pakistan.

Hakim Afghani | 8 years ago | Reply Back from London thinking Panama case is gone. LOL

Last Man Alive | 8 years ago | Reply Wrong Caption: Back home, PM Nawaz strikes a defiant note. Right Caption: Back from home, PM Nawaz strikes a defiant note.

ahmed | 8 years ago | Reply Shame on these people using Dadi for political milage.

Brainy Bhaijan | 8 years ago | Reply There is no alternative leadership in punjab. Unless PMLn breaks from within, nothing can and will happen. Imran cannot win punjab without the base PML workers. They have an iron-grip over punjab and the only way to dismember them is to impose a martial law. Unfortunately, another martial law might end up breaking pakistan. Therefore, these brothers know they are in a safe spot.

Parvez | 8 years ago | Reply For him development means.......development of London real estate.

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