No Change in Nawaz Sharif's return plan: Shehbaz

LONDON: Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday claimed that there was ‘no change’ in the return plan of his brother and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif as the latter is set to land in Pakistan on October 21, ARY News reported.

Shehbaz Sharif rushed back to London merely hours after he returned to the country from the UK, a development that gave way to rumours regarding a possible change in travel plans of Nawaz Sharif.

The former premier left London earlier in the week after spending several weeks here, but upon reaching Lahore, made a sudden plan to return in order to meet with his elder brother, party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

Sources told ARY News that a consultation meeting was held in London which was attended by PML-N bigwigs including Maryam Nawaz, Ishaq Dar, Abid Sher Ali, Mian Javed Latif, Talal Chaudhry, Burjees Tahir, and Sheikh Rohail Asghar.

Speaking on the occasion, the PML-N supremo said that Pakistan – a prospering nation – was brought to the brink of destruction under a conspiracy in 2017.

“Qamar Bajwa, Faiz Hameed, Saqib Nisar and Azmat Saeed are criminals of 22-crore people”, he alleged.

“The country will not be able to move forward until the characters involved in the conspiracy are brought to justice,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif – while talking to journalists – said that he returned to London on directions of Nawaz Sharif. “No change was made in return plan of PML-N supremo,” he added.

In response to a question, Shehbaz said he never visited Gujranwala and did not hold a meeting.

Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier announced Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan on October 21. “The PML-N supremo will be given a splendid welcome on his arrival in Pakistan”, he added.

He said that his brother was removed from power through a conspiracy and the rigging in the 2018 general elections left Pakistan behind in the region.

“We held consultations with the senior leadership of the party and decided that the PML-N supremo will return to Pakistan in October and lead the election campaign,” Shehbaz Sharif said while talking to journalists in London.

The PML-N president also said that his brother would come to Pakistan and face the law and “there are no two opinions on it”.

Earlier, former finance minister Ishaq Dar said that there are no hurdles in PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s participation in elections.

Ishaq Dar said that article 62 (1) (f) which decreased the disqualification sentence to five years was passed by the parliament and also approved by the president.

He said that after the the approval of article 62 (1) (f) former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) head Jahangir Tareen are now eligible to participate in elections.