Maryam Nawaz mobilises support for father Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan return

With the date of Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan closing in, his daughter Maryam Nawaz has claimed he is returning after becoming more “powerful and stronger than before” and his homecoming will restore the country’s fragile economy as well as eliminate the menace of terrorism. Maryam, the Chief Organiser of Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), recalled the former prime minister’s ouster from power in the past and claimed he always returned stronger.

Hinting at the government’s assurance that Nawaz won’t be arrested when he lands in Lahore on 21 October, she said that he will visit Jati Umra, his family residence, upon return. Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, however, seemed to suggest otherwise. He recently said that he wanted the law “to take its course.” Maryam addressed two gatherings, one in Lahore and another in Gilgit virtually, to organise the cadre for a big reception for Nawaz. Spelling out PML-N’s narrative for the upcoming general elections, she claimed that Nawaz’s return won’t just be an individual’s return but that of prosperity, Dawn reported, “It will not be the return of an individual to the country. There will be the return of prosperity and hope for the country on 21 October. Peace will return and the price hike will be eliminated on 21 October,” Dawn quoted her as saying in Lahore. This comes as a change in the party’s narrative in the run-up to the next polls. Earlier Nawaz insisted on making army generals and senior judges behind his ouster accountable. Now there seems to be a shift towards political and economic stability. In a veiled attack on ex-Pakistan Army Chief Javed Qamar Bajwa and Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, she said that those who removed Nawaz in 2017 were now lying in the “dustbin of history.” In July 2018 Nawaz was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a corruption case. He was later allowed to travel abroad for treatment after being diagnosed with an immune system disorder. But he hasn’t returned since.