- Party president Shehbaz says amendments to the Election Act have cleared three-time premier of any disqualification
- Dar says PML-N supremo’s disqualification period ended on July 26
ISLAMABAD: Coinciding with dissolution of National as well as Sindh and Balochistan assemblies and the country’s transition to interim setup for the general elections, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be the party’s candidate for prime ministers.
Speaking at a press briefing at the Prime Minister’s House, Shehbaz Sharif claimed that the amendments to the Election Act have cleared Nawaz Sharif’s of any disqualification, removing any obstacle to his “return to the country and power.”
“In my capacity as president of the party, I have nominated Nawaz Sharif as the candidate for prime minister from the PML-N,” Shehbaz said.
He emphasised that the final decision on the date of general elections rests with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), adding that his party wanted to conduct the polls as soon as possible.
On the occasion, PML-N leader Ishaq Dar stated that Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification period ended on July 26.
In an interview earlier this week, the former premier had stated Nawaz Sharif is set to return to Pakistan in September and will face his pending court cases.
In an interview with a private television channel, he said that after the caretaker government was formed, he would go to London to discuss “plan” for his return with his brother.
The premier said that Nawaz would lead the election campaign of his party and would be the next prime minister for the fourth time if PML-N won the next election.
Nawaz, who was convicted by an accountability court before the 2018 general elections in graft cases, went to London to receive medical treatment in 2019, and has been staying there since then.
Last month, Nawaz reached Dubai and met Pakistani politicians. His arrival in the Gulf emirate generated a debate in the media about his return to Pakistan.
The PML-N supremo is convicted in the Al-Azizia and the Aveinfeild Apartment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the aftermath of the Panama Papers case. His appeals are pending in the relevant courts.
