Why is Nawaz Sharif delaying his return?
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, has recently expressed that Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), will be the party’s nominee for the position of prime minister in the upcoming general elections if he returns to the country. Dar made these remarks during an interview to a private TV channel on Monday.
According to Dar, both he and Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif are eager for Nawaz Sharif to come back to Pakistan and assume a leadership role, as they consider him to be the only remaining statesman based on their analysis. Nawaz has been residing in London since November 2019 for medical reasons, but he plans to return to Pakistan after completing his medical treatment.
A file photo of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan to lead the party in the forthcoming elections.
However, instead of returning to Pakistan from Dubai, PML-N supremo left for Saudi Arabia today to perform Umrah. From there he will go back to London, leaving everyone guessing his political role in the next set-up.
Dar explained that Nawaz will come back to the country when the party deems it appropriate. Currently, his medical treatment is still pending, and he is expected to travel to the United Kingdom within the next two or three days. Additionally, there is a possibility that he may visit Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
The Finance Minister emphasized that there are no legal obstacles preventing Nawaz, a three-time former prime minister who was disqualified for life in 2017 and subsequently convicted in corruption cases, from participating in the elections.
The parliament recently passed an amended election law that limits the disqualification period for public office holders to a maximum of five years.
These statements by Ishaq Dar come a day after Nawaz Sharif pledged to tackle inflation in Pakistan if he is elected to power in the upcoming general elections. The former prime minister conveyed this message during discussions with various PML-N delegations from Gulf countries in Dubai, as reported by state-run Radio Pakistan.
During his meetings in the UAE, Nawaz assured that the ruling PML-N would address all the problems and difficulties faced by the people. On June 24, Nawaz and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, arrived in the UAE and held important meetings, including discussions with top leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari, and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
