ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party announced on Saturday the country’s three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif would “soon” be back to lead the election campaign of his political faction.
Sharif, who is also the elder brother of Pakistan’s current prime minister, was barred from holding political office for life by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in April 2018. He was also convicted by a local accountability court in a corruption reference before being allowed to travel to London on medical bail in November 2019.
Sharif has not returned to the country since then, though he maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated while claiming innocence.
His daughter Maryam Nawaz returned to Pakistan after spending about four months in London on Saturday, saying she would “reorganize” the party ahead of the polls after the dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan is also scheduled to hold national elections later this year.
“Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan soon with God’s blessings and your affection,” she said while addressing a public gathering of party workers and supporters.
However, she did not mention any specific arrival date.
Nawaz also blamed the current economic and political turmoil of Pakistan on her father’s ouster from the political arena.
“Since then,” she said, “Pakistan has not been able to deal with the situation. But now that I have returned, I will not rest for a single day and [work for the betterment] of Pakistan.”
The PML-N leader also expressed full faith in finance minister Ishaq Dar’s policies in overcoming the ongoing economic crisis of the country and asked the nation to “have faith in him and trust God.”
Earlier, federal information minister Maryam Aurangzeb announced Nawaz’s return to Pakistan on Twitter.
“Ms. Maryam Nawaz will reach Lahore today at 3pm,” she said. “Party leaders, workers and people are eagerly and happily waiting for Maryam Nawaz. Maryam Nawaz will return to the country and start the reorganization of the party.”
