Daily Times

LONDON: Erstwhile prime minister Nawaz Sharif has announced that he will return to Pakistan after his wife regains consciousness.

“It is my wish to speak to her. I come here every day with the hope that she regains consciousness and I am able to meet here. She has been my life partner for 45 years. This partnership is no ordinary partnership,” said the former prime minister on Friday hours after an accountability court sentenced his to 10 years in prison the Avenfield properties corruption case.

Flanked by his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who was also sentenced to seven years in jail, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremor told reporters in London that every possible tactic was employed against him.

“These types of verdict were expected the kind of struggle I had started,” the former premier said.

Nawaz lamented that prime ministers previously had been sent packing on one accusation or the other.

He, however, vowed to continue his struggle. “I promise that I will continue this struggle until Pakistanis are not free of the chains that they are being kept in for saying the truth, he maintained.

He continued: “I wish the same pace is adopted in the cases against those who have violated the constitution,” he said.

Nawaz also voiced concern over the accountability court’s decision. “No pleas filed by me in court were approved, most of them were rejected, this is unfortunate because that doesn’t happen in most cases,” the former premier added.

Nawaz said that the PML-N was far ahead than the other parties despite facing oppression. “We are leading all the opinion polls,” he said. The PML-N leader appealed to the nation to support him.

Responding to a question, the PML-N leader said that not a single premier was able to complete their constitutional term.

“I could’ve also taken the easy route like other politicians but I chose not to appease everyone,” he added.

Published in Daily Times, July 7^th 2018.