Sharifs’ mother to be laid to rest today
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif stands beside his mother, Begum Shamim Akhtar's, body before her funeral prayer in London. PHOTO: TWITTER/@MaryamNSharif
The body of Begum Shamim Akhtar, mother of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and party president Shehbaz Sharif, was flown to Lahore from London on Friday after her funeral prayers were offered in the British capital. She will be laid to rest on Saturday (today) at the Sharif family’s ancestral graveyard after her final funeral prayers in Lahore.
Shehbaz, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, and his son Hamza, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, were released from jail on a five day parole after Friday prayers so that they could participate in Begum Shamim’s last rites.
Shehbaz and Hamza first visited their house in Model Town and later went to the Sharif family’s Jati Umra residence.
According to the PML-N, the father and son along with other members of the family will receive the body at the Lahore airport.
Begum Shamim’s funeral prayers in London were offered at Regent's Park mosque. A limited number of around 30 people, mostly family members, attended the funeral prayers because of coronavirus guidelines.
After the prayers, the body was taken to the London Heathrow Airport from where her body was flown to Lahore on a British Airways flight.
Former premier Sharif offered his mother’s funeral prayers but did not accompany the body to Pakistan as according to the PML-N, doctors have not declared him medically fit to travel. Former finance minister Ishaq Dar also attended the prayers.
A little while before the funeral prayers, Maryam Nawaz, PML-N vice president and Sharif’s daughter, tweeted a picture of her father standing beside his mother's body.
"A son who deserves his mother's prayers, surrendering his mother to his Allah," she wrote in the tweet.
Begum Shamim had passed away in London on November 22. 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.
According to PML-N Deputy Secretary-General Attaullah Tarar, Begum Shamim's body would reach Lahore at around 6:45am. The funeral prayers will be offered at 2pm.