Nawaz returns to jail today

LAHORE: Former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will hand himself to the Kot Lakhpat Jail authorities on Tuesday night, along with a big procession of party workers and leaders led by Maryam Nawaz, on the expiry of his six-week bail time, given by the Supreme Court for his medical treatment.

Nawaz Sharif has been under pressure from the party workers to show his political strength against the “oppressiveregime”, but he has great respect for the judiciary, says newly-appointed information secretary of PML-N Punjab, Azma Zahid Bukhari, MPA, while talking to The News.

She said the decision to voluntarily surrender to the law was taken at a party leaders meeting on Monday. She said Nawaz Sharif would go to jail from his Jati Umra (Raiwind) residence after Iftar in his car, to be driven by Hamza Shahbaz Sharif. Almost all central and provincial leaders of the party would also join him there or at different places along the route. She said the party leadership has asked workers to gather outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail at 7:30pm after Iftar. Besides, several leaders would also bring workers from different parts of the city to give a warm send-off to Nawaz Sharif at Kot Lakhpat Jail. His bail term would expire on 12 night on Tuesday (today).

Meanwhile, talking to the media in Model Town, PML-N leader Rana Mashhood said Nawaz Sharif would go to jail along with a large number of party workers. He said the party had set up 10 to 15 welcome camps at different locations of the city to give a warm send-off to the party supremo.

To a question, he said Shahbaz Sharif was in London for medical examination and would return home after a few days. PML-N leader Khwaja Imran Nazir told the media the party would give a protest call against price-hike and exorbitant increase in petroleum product prices on the IMF dictation.

Agencies add: Nawaz Sharif was released from jail on March 27 after the Supreme Court suspended his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference and granted him bail on medical grounds for six weeks.

Meanwhile, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter on Monday to share her new profile picture. She changed her Twitter display picture with a poster of his father’s image, that read “7th May with Nawaz Sharif” Chalo Chalo Kot Lakhpat Jail Chalo (Let’s go to Kot Lakhpat jail)”.