The PML-N on Thursday dismissed speculations that its supremo Nawaz Sharif would put off his plan to return to Pakistan on October 21 even though sources said a group within the party, which followed a reconciliatory policy, had advised him that the time was not right for the move.

The sources told The Express Tribune that the “party’s reconciliatory group” had conveyed their message to Nawaz.

However, the PML-N supremo refrained from immediately commenting on the matter.

The sources continued that the party’s reconciliatory group believed that the people, currently worried about the rising inflation, unemployment and excessive utility bills, were not interested in the PML-N supremo’s return to the country.

Nawaz’s younger brother, PML-N president and former premier Shehbaz Sharif; daughter and party’s senior vice president Maryam Nawaz; and nephew and ex-Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz kicked off a public communication campaign in Lahore and sensed the public’s opinion.

Therefore, the group thought it would be unwise to expect a dignified reception for Nawaz from the people in the current situation.

According to the party sources, the date of the general elections has not been announced yet. They added that it would be better if Nawaz returned to the country close to the general elections or after the date of the polls was announced.

The sources said PML-N stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi also repeated these facts in a meeting with Nawaz in London, but the latter had made up his mind to return to the country and asked the party to prepare for his reception.

Contrary to this opinion, another group in the PML-N said if Nawaz’s return was postponed, the party would receive a negative impression in the public and that was why he should stick to his decision to come back to the country.
PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui said Nawaz’s return to the country on October 21 was final and there had been no change in the programme.

In a video message, Siddiqui explained in a video message that Nawaz would first reach Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, later stay in the UAE and then return to Pakistan on October 21.

The PML-N senator maintained that Nawaz’s programme had been finalised and the reports of him planning to delay his return — being spread by a “party’s reconciliatory group” — were false.

Denying the presence of a “reconciliatory” or a “resistance” group within the PML-N, Siddiqui said he refuted the rumours about the party supremo putting off his return to the country.

Further consolidating Siddiqui’s statement, Maryam Nawaz, who is also the PML-N’s chief organiser, while speaking at a meeting of the party’s minorities’ wing in Lahore, said her father Nawaz had made it clear that the country’s spiraling inflation would start decreasing from October 21.

She maintained that from 2013 to 2018, inflation remained under control during her party’s tenure.

Maryam added that when her father was ousted from power, development, happiness as well peace and tranquility also left the country.

The PML-N leader said the country’s youth were used for nefarious purposes and rivers of fire as well as blood were shed.

However, she continued that all the “conspiratorial” characters had reached their end by the grace of the Almighty.
“It is time to forget the past and focus on the development of the country,” she added.

Maryam told the PML-N minorities’ wing that her father had never discriminated between the rights of Muslim and non-Muslim Pakistanis.