Islamabad: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif performed the Umrah pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and is expected to meet top leaders before his scheduled return to Pakistan on October 21, ending a four-year “self-imposed exile”.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo left London for Pakistan via Riyadh and Dubai on Wednesday, Geo News reported on Friday.
Sharif is set to return to Pakistan on October 21, ending his self-exile in London, where he has lived since 2019. He is expected to lead his PML-N party in the general elections likely to be held in January next year.
The 73-year-old former premier performed Umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca) on Thursday, accompanied by his son, Hussain Sharif and other close aides.
Sharif’s close aides, Mian Nasir Janjua, Waqar Ahmed, his friend Karim Yousaf and a few others also accompanied him on the Saudi Arabia visit.
Sharif would hold important meetings with top Saudi officials during his stay in the country, including the royal family, The Nation newspaper reported.
The three-time prime minister would then leave Jeddah for Dubai on October 16 or 17 to meet with the top officials of the UAE, The Express Tribune newspaper reported, quoting party sources.
He is also likely to make a short visit to Qatar, the sources said, adding that following the possible visit, Sharif will arrive in Dubai again.
In the final phase of his journey, the former premier would leave for Pakistan on October 21 by a special plane.
The flight carrying Sharif will have the name “Umeed-e-Pakistan” and will land in Islamabad from Dubai before proceeding to Lahore, where he will address the gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan.
There are question marks on his fate as he had already been declared an absconder and could be arrested after arriving in Pakistan.
However, the PML-N has planned to secure a protective bail so that he can address the rally before going to jail.
Former finance minister and PML-N senior leader Ishaq Dar said there is no chance of Sharif being arrested on return to Pakistan.
He said that transit bail and protective bail would be obtained from the court. “Nawaz Sharif will follow the standard legal procedures.”
Sharif stepped down as the country’s prime minister in 2017 after he was disqualified for life from holding public office by the Supreme Court for not declaring a receivable salary. He has been living in London since 2019 after the LHC granted him a four-week permission allowing him to go abroad for his treatment.
He was serving a seven-year imprisonment at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Mills case before he was allowed to proceed to London in 2019 on “medical grounds”.
In 2020, an accountability court declared him a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana vehicles case. He is also accused of obtaining luxury cars from the treasury house by paying just 15 per cent of the price of these vehicles.
Sharif was convicted in the Al-Azizia Mills and Avenfield corruption cases in 2018.
