High-level PPP delegation to attend Begum Kulsoom’s funeral

Bilawal Bhutto likely to meet Sharifs on Saturday

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the Pakistan Peoples Party would be taking part in the funeral of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz taking place today (Friday) after which party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will likely visit the grieving Sharif family on Saturday the next day to condole with Sharif family.

The PPP, in a meeting on Thursday, formed a delegation comprising former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and former leader of opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah would be attending the ceremony.



The former three times first lady and wife of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif breathe her last in London on Tuesday. Her funeral prayers were offered in London on Thursday, attended by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, former finance minister Ishaq Dar along with Hussain, Hassan and Asma Nawaz.

Shehbaz after attending the funeral in the UK is carrying Kulsoom’s dead body back to Pakistan where another funeral would be held at Jati Umra before her burial in the family’s ancestral graveyard. Following her death, bereaved former PM Sharif and daughter Maryam Nawaz, currently serving their sentences in the Adiyala Jail were released on parole in order to take part in the deceased’s last rites.

Although the PPP and PML-N remain a part of the joint opposition, the relationship between the two parties quickly turned to soar as the PPP refused to vote for Shehbaz in the prime minister poll against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Imran Khan. The PML-N was also quick to return the favour by not voting for PPP’s Aitzaz Ahsan in the presidential election.



Meanwhile, the PPP delegation that would be participating in the funeral would also include former ministers Syed Naveed Qamar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chaudhry Manzoor and Hassan Murtaza. Reportedly, Bilawal himself finalised participants of the delegation. ‘Visit of Bilawal Bhutto a day later for condolences with Sharif family is also being worked out’, PPP source said.

When asked, is former President Asif Ali Zardari also planning to visit Sharif family, an office-bearer of PPP said there were no such plans yet.

Analysts believe the active participation of the PPP in condolences to the Sharifs can help in bringing the two opposition bigwigs closer. The division in these two parties helped PTI in a clean sweep in presidential elections and an easy win in the election of PM despite Imran’s party lacking a simple majority in the parliament.