NNI / Tariq Butt

Salman Sharif, son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif, on Thursday confirmed that his father will head back to Pakistan on Saturday.

In his tweet, Salman said that not only will Shahbaz return by Saturday, but he will also attend the budget session in the National Assembly.

“Shahbaz returning back on June 8 Inshallah. He will be returning to the country after spending 7 weeks in London where he had gone for the purpose of treatment,” he tweeted.

It is noteworthy that the accountability court hearing Ashiana Housing case was informed last Tuesday that Shahbaz will return home on June 11.

Co-accused Hamza Shehbaz, Fawad Hassan Fawad and Ahad Cheema appeared in Ashiana Housing scandal case.

However, the case proceedings could not move forward due to absence of accused opposition leader who is staying in London for his medical tests.

Defence counsel informed the court during the hearing that Shahbaz Sharif will return back to Pakistan.

The court adjourned the hearing after assurance about return of Shahbaz to Pakistan.

The PML-N will build up its anti-government campaign after Eid Al Fitr for midterm polls instead of pressing for replacement of Prime Minister Imran Khan with someone else from the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI).

There are not many takers in the PML-N on the idea of building up the campaign on the “specific demand” for replacing Imran for his “complete failure” of running Pakistan.

The PML-N has also decided in principle to first see the momentum of the lawyers drive against the government to be launched in the middle of this month for “attacking” the judiciary by filing references against two judges of the superior judiciary before making its mind to join them (lawyers) on roads.

“Since Imran and his team have completely failed to deliver and steer the country out of crises especially economic, we will press for midterm elections as they seem to be the only solution at hand at the moment to address the host of problems the country is facing today,” PML-N senior vice-president and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said.

About Punjab PML-N president Rana Sanaullah’s statement that it was ready to work with the PTI government provided Imran was replaced with someone else like Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Abbasi said at the moment there is no such proposal is under discussion in the party. The PML-N will not press for replacing Imran with someone else (in PTI) for being incompetent as the whole PTI government is incompetent and a big failure on every front. One of the best solutions for all problems the party sees is going for midterm polls forthwith, he added.

About PML-N’s plan to take to the streets after Eid on the issues of freedom of the judiciary and poor governance, Abbasi said his party is of the view that filing of references against the judges of the superior judiciary (Justice Qazi Faez Isa of the Supreme Court and Justice Karim Khan Agha of the Sindh High Court) in the Supreme Judicial Council is an attack by the Imran’s government on the judiciary and it (PML-N) will strongly resist to it. “However, we will not do politics on it as it is a very delicate matter and the legal fraternity is taking a due course to counter the government’s move.”

Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Asif Ali Zardari said Imran was not removed soon, he will bring the nation to a point where “we too won’t be able to run Pakistan.”

While addressing a gathering of party workers and notables, he said he was not hungry for power, but the present government must be sent packing. Otherwise, the life of most people will become a misery, he added.

Zardari said the PPP had always served the masses as it was “our manifesto and we believe in serving people at their doorstep.”

“Soon after Eid we will declare our plans and this will signal the beginning of the end.”