According to outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will be returning to Pakistan next month. Shehbaz made this announcement during an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’. He stated that after the caretaker government takes over, he plans to travel to London to finalize the arrangements with his elder brother. If all goes well, Nawaz will return to Pakistan in the following month.
Nawaz Sharif left the country in November 2019 to undergo medical treatment after being convicted in a corruption case. Since then, he has been staying abroad and is facing multiple legal cases in Pakistan.
When asked if the caretaker government might create any issues for Nawaz upon his return, Shehbaz confidently replied, “He will face the law.” He further expressed hope that Nawaz would lead the PML-N’s election campaign and assume the role of the prime minister for a fourth time if their party emerged victorious in the upcoming polls, which might be delayed due to the notification of the latest census.
The expected return of Nawaz next month is also expected to coincide with the retirement of Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, who has been seen as a hurdle in Nawaz’s return by PML-N leaders.
In June, the National Assembly and Senate passed the Elections (Amendment) Act 2023, which allows the Election Commission of Pakistan to unilaterally determine the election date and reduces lawmakers’ disqualification period to five years with retrospective effect. This move was seen as paving the way for Nawaz’s return and also benefiting other politicians like Jahangir Khan Tareen.
Furthermore, in June, an accountability court acquitted Nawaz in a reference related to the alleged illegal allotment of plots in 1986. This case is one of several in which members of the Sharif family have been cleared since the PML-N came to power in April last year after Imran Khan was ousted as the prime minister through a no-confidence vote.