Sharif, along with party members and journalists, is scheduled to leave Dubai for Pakistan on October 21…reports Asian Lite News
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will reach Pakistan in a chartered plane from Dubai on October 21, ending his four-year-long self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom, according to a media report.
The flight carrying Nawaz, will have the name “Umeed-e-Pakistan” which can carry approximately 150 passengers, Geo News reported.
“The booking has been made and all arrangements are in place,” the report said. The 73-year-old three-time prime minister is expected to lead his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party in the general elections likely to be held in January next year.
Sharif, along with party members and journalists, is scheduled to leave Dubai for Pakistan on October 21. The special flight will land in Islamabad from Dubai before proceeding to Lahore, Sharif will address the gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Sharif will reach Saudi Arabia for Umrah on Wednesday. He will stay in Saudi Arabia for a week during which he will hold important meetings. He will arrive in Dubai on October 18.
Sharif will be accompanied to the Saudi visit by his close aides Mian Nasir Janjua, Waqar Ahmed, his friend Karim Yousaf and a few others. Nasir Janjua, the owner of MIDJAC company, spent nearly three years in exile in London with Sharif and returned to Pakistan just a few months ago, the report added.
On Tuesday, PML-N Senators Ishaq Dar and Irfan Siddiqui said Sharif would leave for Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.
Refuting rumours pertaining to Sharif’s presence in Saudi Arabia, Irfan Siddiqui confirmed that the former prime minister is still in the United Kingdom and that the visit to Saudi Arabia is of a private nature as the ex-premier will perform Umrah.
PML-N gets ready
Meanwhile, the PML-N has cancelled three rallies in Lahore, planned to build momentum ahead of the homecoming of its supremo Sharif, in a bid to prevent its workers from getting burnt out ahead of the big event.
According to a senior PML-N leader in Punjab, the decision was taken on the direction of the elder Sharif himself, who is slated to land in Lahore later this month and address a gathering at Minar-i-Pakistan.
“Nawaz Sharif directed party president Shehbaz Sharif not to exhaust the party workers ahead of his return. He said the party leaders should continue to hold corner meetings and coordinate well with the workers to make his homecoming historic,” the PML-N leader told Dawn.
Amid reports of differences within the party, the PML-N supreme leader also asked the junior Sharif to immediately resolve differences among some leaders of the Punjab, particularly the Lahore chapter, to make the Oct 21 show successful.
Three rallies in Lahore were planned in the constituencies of Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Rana Mashhood, and Riaz Malik to whip up enthusiasm for elder Sharif’s homecoming. Maryam Nawaz, the chief organiser, was supposed to address these rallies in Lahore.
The PML-N was supposed to hold seven rallies in Lahore, but it cancelled two rallies earlier this month and now the three remaining gatherings were also cancelled.