Nawaz Sharif instructed Maryam to leave Pakistan immediately: Report

Islamabad: PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz set sail for London on October 5, less than 24 hours after her passport was returned to her through an order by the Lahore High Court, on party supremo and her father Nawaz Sharifs instructions, a media report said.

The decision to leave Pakistan forthwith was taken after concerns expressed in the reports of the government agencies regarding the preparations of arch-rival PTI’s long march and its possible success, The Express Tribune report said.

Therefore, instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop, Maryam, like the rest of her siblings, took refuge under the wings of her father in London, the report quoted sources as saying.

They added that the decision was driven by fears of potential political fallout from former Prime Minister Imran Khan making strides towards the federal capital, virtually the political oasis of the PML-N-led coalition whose clout in provinces has been undercut after PTI’s unabated march towards success at the ballot box in provinces.

To avoid any such potential political firestorm, the government agencies had revealed to Nawaz Sharif that there were fair chances Khan would succeed in his long march, The Express Tribune reported.

“Maryam Nawaz could have faced difficulties while staying in the country in case of a success of the PTI’s possible long march,” party sources said and shared that her return to Pakistan will be possible only when the dust settles on PTI’s long march bearing down on Islamabad.

The father-daughter duo reunited last week after three years as she arrived in the UK to spend a month with Nawaz Sharif, who has been in London since November 2019.

She will reportedly undergo a medical procedure during this visit, and speculations are high that she and Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan together.

However, political experts said the development appeared ‘counter-intuitive’ as Maryam had been reportedly entrusted with the task of reorganisation of party and was expected to zoom around Punjab districts to campaign for the October 16 by-elections, The Express Tribune reported.

Maryam is the latest from the Sharif family to seek refuge in London under her father’s wings as three of her siblings are already there, the sources continued and added that with the presence of Maryam, Nawaz Sharif has managed to secure his entire family abroad.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz are in Pakistan.

In the event of the success of the long march and the collapse of the federal government, the leaders of the party in Pakistan, including the Prime minister and his son may face hardship, the sources added.