LONDON  -  Former prime minister She­hbaz Sharif Friday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif would re­turn to Pakistan in Octo­ber. Speaking to reporters, Shehbaz Sharif, who is also PML-N President, said that the senior leadership after intensive deliberations here decided that Nawaz Shar­if would be in Pakistan in October to lead the party's election campaign.

Flanked by Nawaz Shar­if and others, Shehbaz Shar­if alleged that the former prime minister Imran Khan had ruined the economy, be­sides straining diplomatic relations with other coun­tries. He said that the assem­blies were dissolved in ac­cordance with the law, and now the responsibility rest­ed with the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct elections in a free and fair manner. The PML-N would fully back the ECP as a political party in discharging its duties, he added.

Nawaz flanked Shehbaz and listened quietly as the latter made the announce­ment. Shehbaz did not speci­fy a date when Nawaz would return. However, a private News channel, citing in­formed sources, reported that the elder Sharif’s date of return would be October 15. Earlier, PML-N Senator Afnanullah Khan had said “no date has been finalised as yet”. Shehbaz landed at Heathrow earlier this week to meet his elder brother, discuss key political devel­opments in the run-up to the general election and set a date for the party supremo’s return to Pakistan.

The elder Sharif depart­ed the country in November 2019 for medical treatment following his conviction in a corruption case. He has not returned since and faces multiple cases in Pakistan. He was deemed an abscond­er the following February. Later in 2020, courts de­clared him as a proclaimed offender. Earlier this month, reports of Nawaz’s impend­ing return once again start­ed making the rounds, but no official announcement was made from the PML-N supremo himself.

Over the last year, espe­cially since the ouster of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and the change at the helm in April 2022, at several points, some PML-N leaders claimed that the senior Sharif is “coming back to Paki­stan next month”. On Aug 10, in response to a question by an an­chor, Shehbaz had said Nawaz would return in September.

Meanwhile, media reports said senior leaders and legal brains in the party had been de­liberating for the past few days over the timing of Nawaz’s re­turn and the cases he is facing in Pakistan. Talking to reporters alongside his brother in London today, Shehbaz said: “All of you know that Nawaz Sharif’s name was not there in Panama [pa­pers] … he was included [in the investigation] through a con­spiracy and no action was tak­en against other people whose names were actually there in Panama [papers].

“Nawaz Sharif will, God will­ing, come to Pakistan and face the law, there are no two opin­ions on it.”

‘PML-N to fully facilitate ECP for elections’

In response to a question on whether current and former judges would be punished, the PML-N president said transpar­ent accountability was the need of the hour and should be held “across the board”.

“Without it, Pakistan cannot move forward.”

On elections, Shehbaz assert­ed that his party had dissolved assemblies as per the “spirit of the Constitution”.

“After this, it is the legal and constitutional responsibility of the chief election commissioner to hold elections. Our party, on the instructions of Mian Nawaz Sharif, held a meeting with the Election Commission of Pakistan today. “And it is certain that as a political party, we will fully fa­cilitate the ECP for free, fair and transparent elections,” he added. Shehbaz also decried that “fake cases” were made against him and his elder brother during the PTI tenure, adding that their po­litical victimisation came forth to the world when they were grant­ed clean chits by the courts. 

“Now Mian sahib will come to Pakistan in October and lead the election campaign,” he added.

Shehbaz also criticised a sit­ting Supreme Court judge for what he characterised as show­ing undue concern for PTI chief Imran Khan while not having the same sentiments for his brother and his niece.