LAHORE: Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will return to Kot Lakhpat Jail on May 7, a day after his permanent bail plea was rejected by the Supreme Court (SC), while his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif is likely to return to Pakistan in 10 days time.
Addressing a press conference here after a party meeting, senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Rana Sanaullah Khan, Ahsan Iqbal and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the party’s supremo would turn himself in to jail authorities on May 7, as the apex court has dismissed his review petition seeking permanent bail on medical grounds and the permission to go to the United Kingdom for treatment.
The former premier, who has been serving a seven-year prison term at Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 24, 2018, was granted a six-week bail on March 26 to get medical treatment.
Criticizing the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah said that the country had become hostage to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the government falling to their knees to all the conditions placed by the international organisation.
Speaking on the occasion, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan’s sovereignty had been put at stake by the incumbent government by going to the IMF, adding that, “We have never seen a situation where a sitting government had appointed federal ministers at the behest of IMF.”
Talking to reporters, former premier and recently appointed PML-N Senior Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi offered disgruntled party leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to return to the party folds.
He also said that both the person asking for and the person giving an NRO [National Reconciliation Ordinance] are cursed.
“Those who are asking him [Imran Khan] for an NRO are cursed and those giving the NRO are cursed,” Abbasi said.
The PML-N leader also spoke on accountability stating that a minister of Prime Minister Imran Khan had stolen money and fled, while another was accused by the prime minister himself of gas theft.
“I am saying Imran Khan should do accountability and we will also conduct his accountability. We want accountability in the country. The biggest tax thief in the country is Imran Khan.”
Abbasi was also critical of decisions to remove the finance minister, FBR chairman and State Bank of Pakistan governor. He warned that Imran Khan was on a path of destruction.
The media interaction came a day after the PML-N underwent a major restructuring with its president Shehbaz Sharif abandoning chairmanship of parliament’s key accountability forum, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
For the first time, Nawaz’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and Shehbaz’s son Hamza Shehbaz have been appointed as vice presidents of the party. Other key positions have also been allocated to people regarded close to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
