Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday visited former premier and senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Yousuf Raza Gilani at his residence in Lahore and congratulated him on the release of his son Ali Haider Gilani who was recently rescued from al Qaeda custody in a military operation in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.
PM Sharif, who was accompanied by his wife Kulsoom Nawaz and son Hussain Nawaz, embraced Ali Gilani and congratulated him on his safe return. On the occasion, Yousaf Raza Gilani thanked Sharif for sending his special aircraft to bring his son back to Pakistan. Gilani’s spouse and his other sons were also present on the occasion.
Sources, however, said that the prime minister’s visit to Gilani’s residence was an attempt to muster support from the opposition as his government stands jolted from inside out following Panama Papers revelations.
“The recovery of former PM’s son provided PM Nawaz Sharif an opportunity to congratulate him and consult with him,” said the sources, adding that “a deluge of fruits and flowers from Sharif to Gilanis is definitely not without purpose or hope of culling favours from the largest opposition party”.
In the same breath, the PM has tasked Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to bring the Awami National Party on board so that the pressure mounted by Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf could be decimated.
Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called on Yousaf Raza Gilani a couple of days ago and congratulated him on safe recovery of his son after three years in captivity.
Shahbaz Taseer and Ali Haider Gilani, scions of wealthy politicians, were abducted in daylight back in 2011 and 2013, respectively. The year 2016 proved lucky as both were freed within months of each other’s recovery. Taseer was recovered during a security operation in Balochistan while Gilani, who was first taken to Faisalabad after abduction and then to tribal belt before being ferried to Afghanistan, was rescued in March this year.
Interestingly, no PML-N leader has visited the Taseer residence to congratulate them on the release of Shahbaz Taseer.