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PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Tuesday said party supremo Nawaz Sharif will fly to Saudi Arabia tomorrow (October 11), where he will perform Umrah and spend time with his son Hussain Sharif.
Nawaz, who has been in self-imposed exile since 2019, left for London in the middle of his seven-year jail term on medical grounds. In the four years that transpired, Nawaz was declared a proclaimed offender in the Al Azizia and Avenfield graft cases for his continuous absence from proceedings.
Last month, Shehbaz had confirmed that his elder brother was returning to the country on October 21. Subsequently, the PML-N had declared that Nawaz was ready to face “all kinds of circumstances” upon his return from London.
Last week, Nawaz’s legal team submitted his medical reports to the Lahore High Court, which said the PML-N supremo had “some residual anginal symptoms”. Separately, Shehbaz said the party’s legal team had cleared Nawaz’s arrival.
Meanwhile, the elder Sharif marked his final day at Stanhope House, the party’s de facto London headquarters, on Oct 6.
In a talk with journalists today, PML-N’s Irfan Siddiqui said Nawaz would leave for Saudi Arabia tomorrow (Wednesday). “I don’t have any reports of his meeting with the Royal family.
“But he will perform Umrah, spend time with his son … most of his stay would be in Madina,” he revealed.
Siddiqui added that Nawaz would leave for the United Arab Emirates two days before his expected arrival in Pakistan on October 21. “He will rest there and is also expected to meet some party leaders.”
In response to a question on reports regarding Nawaz visiting China and Qatar, the PML-N senator said the elder Sharif had no such trips scheduled before Oct 21.
Talking about the PML-N’s historical narrative of ‘vote ko izzat do’ (honour the vote) and whether it will persist in the upcoming elections, Siddiqui said: “I don’t think PML-N has changed its narrative … ‘vote ko izzat do’ is respecting the Parliament, upholding the Parliament and accepting the public’s right to vote.
“And this is exactly what Nawaz Sharif wants and a person like him can never reject this narrative,” he stated.
The senator added that rest assured, the elder Sharif would himself reveal his narrative upon arriving in Pakistan and addressing the public at the Minar-i-Pakistan rally.
He went on to say that the basic points of the narrative would be reducing inflation and the people’s well-being.
“But let me tell you one thing, his speech would not be that of a conventional political leader. He will show the nation the path forward like a political visionary … and his speech will determine a new way for us,” Siddiqui added.
Separately, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said earlier today that Shehbaz Sharif has asked the nation to leave their homes and give a historic welcome to Nawaz on Oct 21.
“Supporting Nawaz Sharif means a happy and independent Pakistan,” he said, adding that from Oct 21, the “clouds of disappointment will begin to disappear”.
Sanaullah quoted the PML-N president as saying that Nawaz brought peace to the entire country, including Karachi, and fought terrorism.