LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan from London on Sunday, after an absence of nearly two months.
Shehbaz, who is also the president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was scheduled to return to Pakistan on Saturday, but a tweet posted by his son, Suleman Shehbaz, said that the senior Shehbaz had revised his schedule and was set to return today.
He flew on a PIA flight which landed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport at 4.50 am. The scenes at the airport were those of jubilation as PML-N leaders and representatives welcomed their leader with slogans and flowers, before driving him to his residence in Model Town.
Before leaving for Pakistan, Shehbaz had told reporters at the Heathrow airport that “baseless reports were blown out [of proportion] about his return to the country,” adding that he would be taking “legal action against those spreading false news.”
Shehbaz had left the country in the first week of April after he was granted bail in a criminal case and his name was removed from the country’s Exit Control List.
The move followed his arrest in the Ashiana Housing case on October 5, last year, after which he spent nearly four months in jail.
A few months later, while on a brief trip to London to visit his grandchildren, Shehbaz prolonged his stay there, citing medical reasons.
Prior to being given the approval to travel on Sunday, a team of doctors conducted his full medical checkup before declaring that he was medically fit.
Throwing the spotlight on his return, political pundits have said that it will help boost the morale of party workers, especially since the PML-N has announced a plan to protest against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government after Eid-Al-Fitr.
“The PML-N has asked its workers to prepare for a protest against the government. Shehbaz’s return will certainly boost their morale,” Syed Shoiabud Din, a political analyst told Arab News.
The PML-N will be joined by other political parties in the protest, too. “Maulana Fazal Ur Rehman will summon the All Parties Conference (APC) of opposition forces. The decision will be taken at that forum and the PML-N will follow the decision taken there,” Senator Raja Zafrul Haq, the party chairman told Arab News.
Meanwhile, Shehbaz has called for a meeting of parliamentary leaders in the NA at his chamber on Monday, in addition to scheduling a meeting with his team of economic experts on June 12 in Islamabad. In comments made in London, he said that the PML-N will consult with the opposition parties first on the proposed plans for anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, he is due to appear before an accountability court in Lahore on June 13.
Commenting on his court appearance, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan tweeted that since “Shehbaz Sharif has no health issues’’, hopefully he would be able to appear in courts more “regularly.”
Shehbaz, for his part, has said that he’s ready to face all cases against him.
Shehbaz returns home, hints at joining opposition's anti-government drive
Shehbaz returns home, hints at joining opposition's anti-government drive
- PML-N leader was in London since April this year for medical treatment
- Is scheduled to appear before an accountability court on June 13
Thousands of Afghans displaced by Kabul-Islamabad conflict
- The neighbors have clashed since Thursday when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes
- Islamabad has hit back along the border and with fresh air strikes, bombing multiple sites including the former US air base at Bagram
KABUL: More than 8,000 Afghans have been forced from their homes by fighting with Pakistani forces along the border in recent days, the Taliban government said Tuesday.
The neighbors have clashed along the frontier since Thursday, when Afghanistan launched a border offensive in retaliation for Pakistani air strikes.
Islamabad has hit back along the border and with fresh air strikes, bombing multiple sites including the former US air base at Bagram, the capital Kabul and the southern city of Kandahar.
“Due to these brutal bombings and attacks, 8,400 of our families have been displaced, forced to leave their villages and homes,” Afghan deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said at a news conference.
An AFP journalist near the frontier has spoken to residents who have fled the clashes.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry reported “extensive and heavy offensive and revenge attacks” across seven provinces over the past day.
The government acknowledged earlier air strikes on Bagram for the first time.
“Yes, the enemy targeted Bagram as well, but there were no casualties or damage,” defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi said.
Two residents told AFP on Sunday that they heard air strikes in Bagram, north of the capital.
Pakistani security sources said strikes at Bagram were based on “credible intelligence” to disrupt the “supply of critical equipment and stores” for Afghan soldiers and militants fighting Pakistan forces along the frontier.
They said Pakistan reserves the right to respond to the Taliban government’s “aggression along its border by striking legitimate targets at the time and place of its own choice.”
Pakistani fighter jets also flew nighttime sorties over Kabul, another security source told AFP.
UN ‘ALARMED’
Islamabad’s confirmation that its aircraft flew over the Afghan capital came hours after AFP journalists in the city heard multiple explosions.
The blasts were heard alongside anti-aircraft weapons and gunfire from across the city.
An AFP journalist in Jalalabad city, between Kabul and the frontier, reported hearing explosions and various weapons being fired.
At the nearest border crossing, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Jalalabad, residents in Torkham told AFP the days-long fighting was ongoing.
The latest casualties include three children killed in a “crime committed by the Pakistani military regime” in Kunar province, Fitrat said Monday.
At least 39 civilians have been killed since Thursday, the Afghan government said, a toll which Pakistan has not commented on.
The UN children’s charity said it was “alarmed” by reports of child casualties in the conflict, and called on all sides to “exercise maximum restraint, protect civilian lives.”
Pakistan said its February air strikes that sparked the escalation were targeting militants.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government rejects.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday it was “never too late to talk,” but warned: “We will finish this menace.”
The Afghan defense ministry spokesman said more than 25 soldiers have been killed, while estimating Pakistani fatalities among troops at around 150.
Pakistan says more than 430 Afghan soldiers have been killed, with more than 630 wounded.
Casualty claims from both sides are difficult to verify independently.
The violence of recent days is the worst since October fighting killed more than 70 people on both sides, with land borders between the neighbors largely shut since.
