Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif looks out the window of his plane. PHOTO: REUTERS
Sharif was scheduled to return to Pakistan on Tuesday (today) from London, but he flew to Jeddah instead.
According to sources, the deposed PM now plans to fly to Lahore later this week, implying that he may not be able to show up at the accountability court’s hearing on October 26.
Other reports, however, suggest that Sharif would only stay in Saudi Arabia for two days, making it possible for him to appear in court in Islamabad on the scheduled date. But there was no official confirmation from the PML-N ranks in this regard.
Sharif’s return delayed by two days
Sharif’s unscheduled departure to Saudi Arabia fuelled speculations that he was trying to seek the monarchy’s help in dealing with the political crisis at home. Speculations were also rife about the possibility of covert meetings with members of the Saudi royal family.
The former prime minister was earlier scheduled to arrive in Lahore on Tuesday (today), ensuring his appearance before the accountability court on Thursday. Before that, the PML-N chief was scheduled fly back to Lahore on Sunday but his visit was rescheduled because of his wife’s medical condition.
He was expected to hold important meetings with his aides on crucial matters.
Three matters are important once Sharif lands in Pakistan – the pending trial against the Sharif family in the accountability court, internal party differences amid rumours suggesting the possible emergence of ‘Shehbaz League’ and action on the report of the change in the clause of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat declaration in the previous draft of Election Bill 2017.
The three-member committee set up by Sharif under Raja Zafarul Haq, the chairman of PML-N, is learnt to have held a senior cabinet member responsible for the change in the clause. Appropriate action, if any, would be taken by Sharif, sources said.
Is Nawaz League turning into a Shehbaz League?
On Thursday last week, Federal Minister Riaz Pirzada held a press conference, asking Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif to take over the party. Pirzada still stands firmly by his words, sending shockwaves in the party’s hierarchy.
Conspicuously, the Punjab CM himself has avoided responding to Pirzada’s call, again fuelling suspicions of cracks developing in the ruling camp.
Recently, Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz met Shehbaz and his son Hamza in a bid to mend fences, but sources said she could not dissuade them from opposing her father’s ascendancy.
Moreover, Hamza’ s public statement that ‘his’ family was not facing any reference in any accountability court followed by a recent television interview in which he admitted that his father and uncle had developed differences reportedly did not go well with the elder Sharif. Some senior party leaders are trying to mediate between the two Sharifs.
However, the elder Sharif is said to be not happy with the recent turn of events and believes that reports of the rift in the PML-N ranks were ‘leaked’ to the media by none other than members in the Shehbaz group.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah denied the existence of any rift between the two Sharifs. Terming Hamza’s views his ‘personal opinion’, he said: “Everyone in the PML-N, including leaders in Punjab, hold Nawaz Sharif in high esteem. He is our leader. Shehbaz Sharif earnestly respects Nawaz Sharif. He (Nawaz) is in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and pray for his ailing wife as well as the country. This has nothing to do with politics,” he said.
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