Nawaz unlikely to return ‘soon’

LAHORE:

Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif is unlikely to make a comeback to Pakistan anytime soon, according to a source familiar with the development.

The source, who spoke to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, said that as per his understanding, the three-time former prime minister was expected to return to Pakistan by the end of this year.

Nawaz, who was convicted by an accountability court before the 2018 general elections in graft cases, went to London to receive medical treatment in 2019, and has been staying there since then.

Last week, Nawaz reached Dubai and met Pakistani politicians. His arrival in the Gulf emirate generated a debate in the media about his return to Pakistan.

However, the source, a cabinet member, said that he would not be returning just yet.

The PML-N supremo is convicted in the Al-Azizia and the Aveinfeild Apartment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the aftermath of the Panama Papers case. His appeals are pending in the relevant courts.

The sources stressed that the Sharif family was aware of Nawaz’s return plans. “In my understanding and the chatter I’m hearing from within the party, Nawaz will return somewhere by November. By then, these [legal] issues will be ironed out.”

Asked about the need for a meeting with the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – a major ally of the incumbent coalition government –in the UAE, he said that there were still some things that needed to be decided before the next elections.

“It is important to agree to a power-sharing formula for the next set-up, based on who wins what,” the source said. Asked if he saw Nawaz as the next prime minister, he said his role in the next setup “will be difficult predict but he will be calling the shots”.

He added: “Since the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) is out of the equation, so it is a simple two-sided match between them and the PPP.”

When asked about the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), he said it “will be an important player but limited to the role of an ally”.

When asked if there were any chances of elections getting delayed, he said that possibility was always there and the Punjab elections were and always would stand as a precedent.

When asked if there were any chances of elections getting delayed, he gave a cryptic answer, saying: “If things remain peaceful.” He however did not explain what he meant by it but said, “things aren’t as simple as they might seem in Islamabad”.

Comments were sought from PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb, but she wasn’t available.

Earlier, PML-N Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar had maintained that he was not aware of Nawaz’s plans of travel to Pakistan.

On other hand, the Prime Minister Office had already clarified that Premier Shehbaz Sharif was in Lahore, dispelling rumours of his plans to fly to Dubai to attend the meetings taking place between Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.