Islamabad, Oct 21: Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned home on Saturday on a special flight after a four-year self-imposed exile in the UK to head his party and try to secure a record fourth term in the general elections expected to be held in January.
Wearing a light blue kurta pyjama, a maroon muffler and a black coat, the 73-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo flew in from Dubai to Islamabad on the ‘Umeed-e-Pakistan’ chartered plane at around 1:30 pm local time.
On his arrival, Sharif’s legal team met him and took his signature on some legal documents to be submitted to the Islamabad High Court as part of the bail process approved by the court on October 19.
Authorities at the airport also took his biometrics. The PML-N supremo’s legal team includes former law minister Azam Tarar.
Later he left for Lahore in the same flight to address a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, the site where the All-India Muslim League passed the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940 – the first official call for a separate and independent homeland for the Muslims of British India.
The PML-N leaders are gathering at the venue to welcome him alongside a large number of party workers and supporters.
His flight to Lahore from Islamabad was delayed by nearly an hour after a leader of his party accompanying him fell sick and had to be deboarded.
His party has been trying to paint his homecoming as a hope for Pakistan. About 150 PML-N supporters, who were onboard the special flight from Dubai to Islamabad, kept on chanting slogans throughout the flight.
Sharif was calm during the flight and apparently read the notes for his address in Lahore in the evening.
Speaking to reporters at Dubai airport, the three-time former prime minister deplored the “very chaotic” situation in Pakistan and expressed confidence that his party was “competent” to take the cash-strapped country out of the present crisis.
“I’m going back to Pakistan after four years today,” Sharif said. “When I was leaving Pakistan and going abroad I had no feeling of happiness but today I am happy.” The ousted premier added that it would have been very good if the situation of the country was better today as compared to 2017.
“I get very worried and disappointed seeing the situation in the country. The country that had to move forward is going backwards now economically and unity-wise.” Terming the situation as “worrisome”, Sharif said there was still hope and “we should not let it slip from our hands as we are capable of fixing it because we spoiled it ourselves”.
He said the country had to get back on its feet as nobody would lift us up.
“When I remember Pakistan back then, I get hurt, we had said goodbye to the International Monetary Fund, electricity was cheap, the rupee was stable, there was employment, roti cost Rs 4, a poor family’s child went to school and medicines were also cheap.” Sharif said only the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) can decide when polls will be held, adding that it was the only competent authority and a fair election commission.
The ECP is yet to fix a date for the elections but in the past said that polls would be held by January end.
“Whatever date the ECP announces, everyone will [abide by it]. My priority is whatever the ECP says. Pakistan has a fair ECP today and I feel it will make the best decision with regards to the election. Lamenting the treatment meted out to him in the past, he said he was the person who had gone through 150 court hearings.
“Not just me but also my daughter. She even got a clean chit. She had to get it. She didn’t have a position during my government, not even an office.”
He said fake cases were not just filed against his family including former prime minister and his brother Shehbaz Sharif but also ex-interior minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi.
