LAHORE:
Leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) in and around Lahore have said they have not received any updated instructions as the homecoming of PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif approaches.
The leaders told The Express Tribune exclusively that the media has been their primary source of information concerning Sharif’s return.
After former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif revealed in an interview last week that the party’s supreme leader will be returning to Pakistan next month to face the courts, speculation about Nawaz’s return increased.
According to subsequent accounts, party leaders were reportedly told to get ready for his triumphant comeback after he made the assertion.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the party has made similar claims; each time, news outlets reported that the party had ordered the completion of preparations and the formation of a legal committee in order to plot a legal strategy.
The assertions were proven to be completely false.
When will CJP retire?
It appears that the PML-N is hopeful that the incoming Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa will bring the Sharif family the necessary relief this time around.
There is talk that Nawaz will return once the next chief justice takes office next month, following the retirement of the present top justice. This may be the motivation behind party president Shehbaz Sharif’s first-ever statement of a timeline for his brother’s homecoming.
A number of party members, however, dispute the leadership’s assertions. Since the polls have been postponed till next year, there is no pressing need for Nawaz Sharif’s homecoming, as he is not expected to return until closer to the elections.
They also believe the party is putting too much faith in the new chief justice, which could backfire if whatever respite he provides is interpreted as a favour to the PML-N.
An ex-Lahore MPA told The Express Tribune that they were advised to get ready for Nawaz Sharif’s homecoming three or four months ago, but that they haven’t received any further instructions since then.
He claimed that the party’s already strong position against the opposition meant that Nawaz Sharif’s return wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Inflation is at an all-time high, and even for people who are linked to him, it has become impossible to survive, he said, adding that his coming would surely revitalise the ranks and files of the party, but beyond party lines, his charm would lose its impact.
He did, however, point out that his constituents were relatively secure, at least in the rural parts of his constituency, since despite anti-PDM sentiment, people do not have any option.
There’s talk in the party that Nawaz Sharif is returning soon, another ex-city MPA remarked, adding, “but that’s it.” According to him, contrary to what was reported in the media, they have not been instructed to start again with their preparations.
He insisted, though, that they were prepared to welcome their Quaid at a moment’s notice.
Waheed Alam Khan, a former member of parliament, argued that there was no need to remind people to be ready yet again. The party in question has already conveyed this information.
The PML-N is the most popular political organisation in Pakistan and would receive a hero’s welcome. To his knowledge, Nawaz Sharif would return before the next elections, he stated when questioned about the timing of his homecoming.
