Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML-N, embarked on a discreet five-day visit to China, with party officials declining to disclose specifics about the purpose of his trip. While PML-N representatives such as Marriyum Aurangzeb and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar remained tight-lipped about Sharif’s “unannounced visit” to Beijing, a PML-N minister did confirm to Dawn that Sharif had indeed departed for China on a “private visit.”
Reports indicated that the visit was of a personal nature, including a medical check-up and meetings with Chinese companies regarding development projects in Punjab, where his daughter Maryam Nawaz holds the position of chief minister. Sharif was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Maryam’s son Junaid Safdar.
According to a source close to the Sharif family, the purpose of the elder Sharif’s trip was not disclosed to the party leadership. Speculations arose within party circles about whether Sharif had a special assignment in China that his younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, could not undertake.
Sharif, who has previously traveled to London for medical treatment, has never visited China for such reasons. Meanwhile, in Punjab, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a meeting to discuss the “Roshan Punjab Programme,” aiming to provide solar power systems to 50,000 households in the province. The initiative, which offers free electricity to the underprivileged, was approved by the chief minister, who directed the immediate commencement of a pilot project.
Furthermore, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated Punjab’s first virtual women police station at the Punjab Safe Cities Authority. This station aims to assist women through all stages of crime resolution, from filing FIRs to investigation and trial, using various communication channels such as 15 Call, Women Safety App, video call features, Punjab Police App, and the Safe City web portal.
