Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz to return to Pakistan in a week: sources

Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, plan to return to their homeland in a week, sources.

The decision to return to Pakistan was made after a consultation with senior leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as well as pressure from some party workers, sources disclosed.

Further, a suggestion to have Maryam Nawaz return to Pakistan before Sharif himself is under consideration as well, sources added.

The PML-N supremo and the former first daughter, according to the sources, intend to lead their party's campaign ahead of the upcoming general elections of 2018. In this regard, Sharif is said to have ordered preparations to be made in multiple cities, accordingly, for election campaign-related rallies.

However, prior to his flight back to his motherland, a detailed medical check-up and a computed tomography (CT) scan of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, Sharif's ailing wife, will be carried out, following which the PML-N supremo will meet her doctors for a comprehensive discussion on her health, current condition, and progress.

Earlier, Maryam Nawaz had said their return depended on the condition of Begum Kulsoom, who has been on the ventilator for a few weeks now. She had explained that she would return on the first available flight as soon her ailing mother's condition improves.

With regard to the electoral campaign, she noted that her party was being targeted and that it was not possible to keep it out of the public’s reach.

Sharif's narrative has reached every house and the public knows whom to vote for, the former first daughter had said, adding that Pakistan would make a better decision for democracy.

“Our voters will vote only for the ‘Lion’,” said Maryam, referring to the party's electoral symbol. She is set to contest the forthcoming elections from Lahore's NA-127 and PP-173 constituencies.

On Saturday, when asked about the National Accountability Burea's (NAB) sudden proceedings, the ex-first daughter refused to comment.

The Sharifs are facing three corruption references in the accountability court — Avenfield Properties, Al-Azizia Steel Mills, and Flagship Investments — wherein they are accused of money laundering, tax evasion, and hiding offshore assets.

On June 7, the father-daughter duo had sought a five-day exemption from their appearance before the accountability court in the aforementioned corruption references. A week later, they left for London to meet ailing Begum Kulsoom, who is under treatment for cancer since last year.