Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif left for London on Tuesday night, heading a delegation of PML-N leaders, to meet party supremo Nawaz Sharif to discuss the political and economic situation; decide about the subsidy on petroleum prices, gauge the impact of heading a coalition government on the party; and mull over the timing of holding fresh elections among other things.
Shehbaz left Islamabad via British Airways flight, airport sources said. He is accompanied by a delegation comprising 10 cabinet members, including Rana Sanaullah, Maryam Aurangzeb, Ayaz Sadiq and Muftah Ismail, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Asif and Ata Tarar. MPA Malik Ahmed is also travelling with him.
Earlier, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed that the prime minister along with several party leaders would travel to London “on a private visit” to meet three times former premier Nawaz, in London.
After a cabinet meeting chaired by Shehbaz, the government’s spokesperson said the purpose of the visit was consultation on key issues facing the country which, she stressed, was not an unusual process in political parties.
Also read: Nawaz likely to return after Eid ‘to face court’
Sources said that the top agenda item of the meeting would be the discussion on either to continue giving subsidy on the petroleum products or jack up the rates and face a backlash from the people, who are already feeling the heat of the high inflation.
They added that increasing the petroleum prices was also a pre-condition for the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and the option to keep the prices capped for a long time was not looking feasible.
Economic experts have suggested that the government had to swallow the bitter pill but both the brothers – Nawaz and Shehbaz – as well as the leadership of the allied parties were not in favour of increasing the petroleum prices as it would not only be a setback to their political narrative, but also provide an opportunity to former prime minister Imran Khan to lash out at the incumbent regime.
Nevertheless, the decision of Prime Minister Shehbaz to visit the party supremo in London has already given ammunition to Imran, who was quick to lament that it was an insult to Pakistan that the prime minister and cabinet members were going to attend a meeting in London on public money, summoned by an “absconder”.
However, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal was quick to counter the claim. He tweeted that the delegation was not utilising public money as everyone had purchased tickets from their own pockets and personally made arrangements for their stay in London. “This itself is enough to prove Imran Niazi [is] a liar,” he added.
Apart from deliberating on the timing of the next general elections, the sources said, the upcoming budget, relationship with the allies, economy, energy and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects were other key items on the agenda of the London meeting.
Though the information and defence ministers downplayed the London meet-up, the sources claimed that the PML-N leadership would deliberate on these key issues and were expected to take some major decisions.
It was reported that senior PML-N leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar had recently suggested that fair and transparent general elections should be held as soon as possible. Dar, who has been living in London for the past few years, had said that the PML-N and its allies were not in favour of the incumbent government completing the National Assembly’s tenure.
“Some people want the government to complete the tenure but Nawaz is of the view that fair and free elections should be held as soon as possible,” he said during an interview. The sources said that given the importance of the matter, Nawaz had refused to hold a virtual meeting and asked the party leaders to visit London. The PML-N delegation is expected return to the country on Friday.
Some political analysts said that the PML-N had also tried that the leaders of other coalition parties also attend the London meeting but they refused, saying that the current situation in the country warranted their stay in Pakistan instead of going to the UK.
Also read: PML-N, PPP vow to repair ‘damaged’ economy
The leaders of the other parties also said that attending the meeting in London would not send a good message to the people and give an opportunity to Imran to further his “propaganda” against the coalition government.
According to the sources, the PML-N’s internal rifts would also be discussed as several party leaders had expressed their reservations over not being included in the decision-making process. In addition, they added, the strategy about the coalition government’s performance and how it could curb the spiralling inflation would be discussed as the people were having a change of heart.
The visit of the prime minister and the senior PML-N leaders is taking place on the heels of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s back-to-back meetings with Nawaz in London last month before he took oath as the foreign minister.
Nawaz and Bilawal had vowed to complete the unfinished business of the Charter of Democracy – an ambitious document to restore the fledgling democracy of the country. Nevertheless, a key PPP leader denied that the party was even invited for the London meeting, saying it was an internal meeting of PML-N.
Before heading to London, Shehbaz also met with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and discussed the overall political situation in the country. They agreed to work with all political parties to ensure the stability of democracy and social welfare in the country.
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