Funeral of Sharifs’ mother on Saturday

Shehbaz likely to be released on parole on Friday

LAHORE:

The funeral prayers for the mother of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his brother and party president Shehbaz Sharif will be offered at the Sharif Medical City on Saturday.

PML-N Deputy Secretary General Atta Tarar said the body of Begum Shamim Akhtar would reach Lahore on Saturday at around 6:45am via a British Airway flight.

The funeral prayers would be offered on the same day at 2pm.

He said he had been informed that party president Shehbaz would be released on parole on Friday so that he could attend his mother’s funeral.

“We have requested the authorities to allow Shehbaz Sharif and [his son] Hamza to receive Begum Shamim Akhtar’s body at the airport,” he added.

“We have also requested the government to allow both Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza to attend to family and friends at [Sharif family’s] Jati Umrah and Model Town residences.”

The Qul will be held on November 29 and will be attended only by members of the Sharif family.

The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday approved releasing Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz on a five-day parole to attend Begum Shamim’s funeral but the decision would be subject to her body’s arrival in the country.

PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said by keeping Shehbaz imprisoned for three days even after the death of his mother, the PTI government had shown that it was a tyrannical, fascist and shameless regime. Speaking to the media in Raiwind, Marriyum said Shehbaz was being held in jail for a case the reference of which had already been filed and a trial was under way.

Begum Shamim had passed away in London on Sunday.

She had left for London in February despite being unwell to be with Sharif, who is there for medical treatment since late last year.

According to PML-N leaders, Begum Shamim was almost 94 years old and seriously ill for the past several months but she wanted to be in London for the former premier’s cardiac intervention.