Sharifs settle on Shehbaz as future Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif will land in Pakistan todayon Thursday to attend the accountability court's proceedings.
Islamabad: The ruling Sharif family has ostensibly settled the internal differences and decided that Shehbaz Sharif — the incumbent Punjab chief minister —will become the Premier if the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) wins the 2018 polls.
The issue of succession after Nawaz Sharif’s ouster as the Prime Minister in July has hit the family hard amid tussle between the second generation of the Sharifs.
Before catching a flight back home, Nawaz Sharif held a meeting in London with younger brother Shehbaz Sharif and other party leaders this week to settle the issue.
Sources said it was also decided in the meeting, attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi among others, that statements on party policy will now be given by the Sharif brothers and not their respective children — Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz.
Federal Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said Maryam and Hamza were not party leaders. “They are our brother and sister,” he said.
During the London meeting, which lasted more than three hours and was held at Hasan Nawaz’s office on Monday, Shehbaz Sharif and the prime minister tried to convince Nawaz Sharif to avoid clashing with state institutions, especially so close to next year’s general elections.
Agreeing with the proposal, sources said, Nawaz Sharif was of the opinion that one cannot be expected to stay quiet if an injustice has been meted out to him.
Moreover, Mr Abbasi and Shehbaz Sharif were directed by Mr Sharif to improve relations with state institutions and also place the PML-N’s grievances before them.
Earlier, Nawaz Sharif said that people of Pakistan and not any individual could decide about any minus or plus formulas. On the debate surrounding the minus-Nawaz Sharif formula for PML-N, he said it was the decision of the nation and not individuals.
Nawaz Sharif will land in Pakistan today (Thursday) to attend the accountability court’s proceedings on Friday. His wife, Kalsoom Nawaz, has been receiving treatment in London for throat cancer.