Return from London: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif requests brother Nawaz
What's the story
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged his elder brother and former PM Nawaz Sharif to return from London, lead the election campaign, and become the premier of the country for the fourth time, PTI reported, quoting Geo News. On Friday, Shehbaz addressed a central general council meeting of his party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and hinted at the return of his brother.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Shehbaz took over the PML-N's presidency in 2018 after Nawaz was disqualified as the PM by Pakistan's Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case in 2017. The latter has been living in London since November 2019 citing health issues after a court in Pakistan allowed him a four-week reprieve. He was serving a seven-year imprisonment in the Al-Azizia corruption case before leaving for London.
Quotes
Nawaz in self-imposed exile since 2019: Shehbaz
In his address, Shehbaz reportedly said, "I was waiting for my elder brother—who has been in self-imposed exile in London since November 2019 owing to health reasons—to return to Pakistan and then hold the party meeting so he could hand over the PML-N's presidency back to him." Notably, Nawaz has served as the prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms.
More quotes
Shehbaz praises Nawaz's daughter for party work
Shehbaz further said that his party needed young leadership and praised Nawaz's daughter and the PML-N's 49-year-old Senior Vice-President, Maryam Nawaz, for her work. "You will see that the map of politics will change when Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan," he added. Shehbaz added Pakistan has still locked horns with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but it will continue on the path of development.