ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and ex-PM Shehbaz Sharif returned Thursday to London just 48 hours after briefly staying in his home country following his extended four-week visit to the UK. Reports suggest that a significant meeting is scheduled between Shehbaz, his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, and PML-N’s vice president Maryam Nawaz, who too reached London on a separate flight.
Although party leaders are unsure of the reason behind Shehbaz’s swift return, sources revealed that he has been entrusted by influential figures to convey a crucial message to his brother. The urgency of the matter suggests it cannot be discussed over the phone.
Shehbaz, alongside Nawaz, had announced in London that the three-time former PM would return to Pakistan on October 21 to lead the PML-N’s campaign for the upcoming general elections.
Party insiders speculated that Shehbaz’s hasty return aims to address the situation arising from the reopening of corruption cases against him and other members of the Sharif family. This followed the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down amendments to the accountability laws, which has legal implications for them. The SC’s ruling has also made Nawaz’s return less likely.
In mid-September, the outgoing chief justice nullified amendments made to the accountability laws by Shehbaz’s government. These amendments were introduced to assist public office holders accused or convicted of corruption, including ending Nawaz’s lifetime disqualification from electoral politics.
However, the top court’s decision means that corruption cases have been reopened against various political figures, including former PMs Nawaz, Yousuf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shehbaz, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and former CMs of Sindh and Punjab, along with many former federal and provincial ministers.
Legal experts said Nawaz needs to secure protective bail in corruption and money laundering cases to ensure a smooth return to Pakistan. However, he will have to surrender before the court in the Al-Azizia case, in which he was convicted and was serving a seven-year sentence at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail before being allowed to leave the country on medical grounds in 2019.
This case centres on the source of funds for setting up Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment in Saudi Arabia, which the Sharifs failed to justify and thus were charged with owning assets beyond their means.