Not sure about Nawaz’s return: Javed Latif

Taking a U-turn from his stance, PML-N leader Javed Latif, who until a few weeks ago was certain that party supremo Nawaz Sharif would return to the country in September, has said that he is not sure whether the former premier would be coming back this month or not.

The portfolio less federal minister, while talking to The Express Tribune, noted that the political situation in the country was changing rapidly. He maintained that nothing with surety could be said regarding the arrival of Nawaz in the given circumstances.

Last month, Latif had held a news conference at the PML-N Central Secretariat claiming that the former premier would be coming back to Pakistan in September to lead the country out of the crises.

Since the presser was held at the PML-N Secretariat and Latif was flanked by provincial party spokesperson Azma Bukhari, the deadline for Nawaz’s arrival was seen with a degree of seriousness.

Latif had earlier made such claims too but all of them proved to be untrue. However, this did not stop the PML-N leader from giving new deadlines without apparently consulting the concerned quarters.

Senior leaders have mostly distanced themselves from Latif’s statements and refused to comment on his claims.

Latif, in his later news conferences, stuck to his stance of the PML-N supremo’s return, and even went on to criticise his own government for not doing enough to ensure a level playing field for Nawaz.

In his media interaction, he opined that the government should introduce a legislation to undo all the cases against the former premier. He had claimed said that such legislation was under consideration within his party.

MPA from Lahore, Punjab Mian Margoob, while talking to The Express Tribune, said that Nawaz was not coming back in September, expecting that the PML-N chief might return in October.

A senior leader said that they were not aware of the former premier’s return to the country in September or October. He said the PML-N supremo should return at the earliest “to save his party”.

He maintained that the PML-N would not be able to benefit if PTI Chairman Imran Khan was disqualified as was commonly presumed, adding that the party needed a “workable narrative” and a “clear line of direction” to move forward.

He said the PML-N needed to restrain leaders like Latif from making “irresponsible statements”.