Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif set to be back at PML-N’s helm amidst internal strife

Lahore, April 27

Pakistan’s three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif is all set to retake the helm of the ruling PML-N next month to guide the party amid internal strife, seven years after he relinquished the post after being disqualified by the apex court.

Nawaz, 74, will be elected president of the ruling party on May 11 in a meeting of the party leadership, a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said.

In 2017, the Supreme Court of Pakistan disqualified Nawaz as premier and party president for his alleged corruption in cases related to the Panama Papers revelations about his illegal wealth stashed abroad.

He relinquished his position within the party following his disqualification, which also led to his departure from the prime minister’s office. PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah told a press conference that a decision to make Nawaz the president of the party again was taken at a party meeting on Friday.

The party will request Nawaz on his return from China to accept the president’s office of the party. Nawaz is currently on a five-day private visit to China.

Sanaullah’s announcement comes amidst internal tensions within the ruling party in Punjab and at the federal level, The Express Tribune newspaper said.

Several prominent figures within the party, including Sanaullah, portfolio-less Federal Minister Javed Latif, Senator Javed Abbasi, and former Senator Asif Saeed Kirmani, have publicly criticised the leadership.

Their remarks have ranged from questioning cabinet formations to expressing disillusionment with the party’s alignment with the establishment, straying from its “vote ko izzat do” (respect the vote) slogan.