Shehbaz jets off to London to meet Nawaz

Amid rumours of PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif’s likely return to Pakistan, former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday jetted off to London.

The announcement of Shehbaz’s departure to London was made by party Central Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb on her official X account. 

During his stay, Shehbaz will meet his brother Nawaz to discuss various political issues. 

A plan regarding Nawaz’s return to Pakistan is also expected to be finalised during these meetings. According to the party, two options were under consideration regarding Nawaz’s return. The first was his return by the third week of September, while the other was his return in the second week of October. 

Further, the party revealed that it had yet to be finalised whether Nawaz would opt for Islamabad or Lahore, as his return destination, saying both options were under consideration.

According to PML-N Punjab spokesperson Azma Buhkari, party President Shehbaz was expected to return in a week to 10 days, clarifying that up till now, there was no plan for Nawaz’s return along with his brother.

She said that Nawaz would hold a news conference 10 days or so before prior to his return to announce his travel plan.

She said that during this period, Begum Nusrat Shehbaz would also undergo a check-up in London.

She said the exact date and location of Nawaz’s return were not known to them. “What we know is that Mian Nawaz is returning very soon,” she added.

Begum Nusrat was treated for an ailment recently in Itefaq Hospital Lahore. She was discharged the same day, after undergoing treatment. During her stay, she would seek the advice of doctors for the treatment she had undergone in Lahore.

A well-placed party leader said that there were concerns within regarding the apparent pro-establishment policy of the current party leadership and the potential damage it had done to the party’s image.

He said that all these pro-establishment moves would prove to be counter-productive the moment their party fell out of favour with the establishment.

He said that it was important for the party to decide where it stood before entering the political arena.

Nawaz’s return would mark the start of the election campaign, and taking an anti-establishment position would not only weaken party’s ties with the powers that be but also would be akin to publically humiliating half of the party’s leadership that wear their ties with the establishment as medals on their chest.

He said this would prove to be a slippery slope for the party.

He said that this perception that Nawaz was returning with the blessing of the establishment, as was created by Rana Sanaullah in a recent interview, if not nullified would burry the party’s narrative, and in the longer run, would leave the party with no breathing room to create an anti-establishment narrative.

He regarding Nawaz’s return said that the PML-N Quaid’s travel plans would squarely bank on the assurance of legal concessions and favourable winds.

When asked about Lahore President Saif Khokhar also flying off to London, he said that Khokhar’s visit to meet Nawaz was insignificant.