Nawaz Sharif leaves PM House, relaxes in Murree resort

Islamabad: Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain on Sunday summoned a session of National Assembly on August 1 to elect a fresh leader of the House after the Supreme Court on Friday disqualified Mr Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. 

Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday vacated the official residence and shifted to the hill resort of Murree along with his family.

Mr Sharif left PM House with his wife, Kulsum Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz, and his son-in-law, Captain (Retired) Safdar, and shifted to his private residence in the hill resort of Murree near Islamabad. He met the staff before leaving. The luggage of the former first family was already shifted, reports said.

Ousted finance minister and Mr Sharif’s confidante Ishaq Dar also left for Murree with the Sharif family.

The PM House, nestled in the foothills of Margalla Hills overlooking Islamabad, would be renovated for the new occupant, officials said.

It is not known for how long Mr Sharif would stay in Murree, a place he likes a lot and has been visiting frequently since he was the chief minister of Punjab.

Earlier, PML(N) announced petroleum minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as the interim PM before Punjab CM Shehbaz Sharif is elected the full-time PM. The younger Sharif who holds only a provincial seat must be elected to National Assembly before becoming the new Premier.

The Opposition could also field a candidate but the nominee has little chance of getting sufficient votes.