Nawaz to touch down in Pakistan on Oct 21: Shehbaz
Pakistan
Nawaz to be back to lead the election campaign
LONDON (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday his elder brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif would return to Pakistan on Oct 21.
Speaking to media in London, the former prime minister said the PML-N supremo would return to the country ahead of the upcoming elections to lead the party's political campaign.
It was decided in the party meeting held in London with Nawaz Sharif in the chair.
Shehbaz stated that the decision regarding Nawaz's return date was made after consulting with fellow party members. He also credited Nawaz for Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear capabilities, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the elimination of 20 hours of electricity loadshedding in the country.
He mentioned that Nawaz had declined a financial package offered to prevent Pakistan from becoming a nuclear power, emphasising that Pakistan's interests outweighed the $5 billion offered.
The PML-N leader expressed that had the momentum of Pakistan's progress in various sectors from 2013 to 2018 not been disrupted by the flawed 2018 elections, the country would have made significant advancements in development.
He further stated that the journey of development would continue from where Nawaz had left off in 2017 when he was unjustly removed from power. Shehbaz said that it wasn't just Nawaz who suffered, but the people of Pakistan were also deprived of development and prosperity.
Regarding the PML-N's position on delayed elections, the former prime minister remarked that holding elections is a constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan, and he hopes that the electoral watchdog will carry out its duty fairly.
PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb took to Twitter and said Nawaz would come to Pakistan on Oct 21.
سابق وزیراعظم اور پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کے صدر شہباز شریف کا اہم بیان
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) September 12, 2023
معمار پاکستان اور رہبر عوام محمد نواز شریف 21 اکتوبر کو وطن واپس تشریف لائیں گے
محسن عوام محمد نواز شریف کا وطن آمد پر فقید المثال استقبال کیا جائے گا انشاءاللہ
Nawaz Sharif left the country in November 2019 for medical treatment following his conviction in a corruption case. He has not returned since.
He was deemed an absconder the following February. Later in 2020, courts declared him a proclaimed offender.
The London meeting was attended by Suleman Shehbaz, Hassan Nawaz, former federal minister Khawaja Asif, Malik Mohammad Ahmed Khan and Nasir Janjua.
Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country, the party's strategy regarding the election and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) stance on the elections came under discussion during the meeting.
Earlier, the PML-N president said that his brother would be returning in October. “Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan in October and lead the election campaign and this has been decided after the PML-N party consultations,” he had said.
