Nawaz Sharif Embarks on Rally to Lahore, Likely to Hold Roadshow

Sharif has not visited his hometown and his stronghold, Lahore, since he was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers corruption scandal.

Islamabad, August 9: Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday embarked on a journey to Lahore from Islamabad via the famous Grand Trunk Road to show his popularity among masses. It comes despite security concerns following a bomb blast in the Punjab province’s capital which was intended to target Sharif’s convoy.

He held a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Cabinet Ministers and senior party leaders before starting the 370-km-long journey. In a show of strength, Sharif was accompanied by hundreds of his supporters.

Sharif has not visited his hometown and his stronghold, Lahore, since he was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers corruption scandal.

He ignored his party members’ advice, but sent his wife Kulsoom and daughter Maryam to Lahore a day before his own departure. On Wednesday morning, Sharif left the Punjab House in Islamabad and arrived at D-Chowk, the first stop of his procession, where hundreds of his supporters greeted him.

“The security is an issue, though elaborate measures are being taken to make the journey free of any risk,” a PML-N leader said.

Sharif is likely to address a rally in Lahore but the timing and venue has been announced yet. Normally, it takes up to five hours from Islamabad to Lahore while driving on the Grand Trunk Road but Sharif’s convoy may take around two days, according to organisers.

Sharif had stepped down after the Supreme Court disqualified him for failing to declare “receivable” salary from a UAE-based company of his son in his 2013 nomination paper. The court termed the salary which was not paid to Sharif as an “asset”.

With inputs from Agencies