Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad Sunday said he was ready to issue a visa and ticket to PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif for his return to the country. Sheik made the announcement after rumours started spreading that Nawaz will possibly return to Pakistan ahead of the next general elections. Sheikh said Nawaz Sharif had not consulted any doctor and was healthy. He expressed these views while addressing a press conference at a local hotel in Karachi. The interior minister said Nawaz merely issued statements against the institutions which would not make any difference and Prime Minister Imran Khan was not going anywhere. Sheikh Rasheed alleged that the highest cases of corruption in the world were against Shahbaz Sharif, adding that Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari were the most corrupt persons of this country. Sheikh Rashid said the nation had voted for Imran Khan to hold all the corrupt and money launderers accountable, but “we failed to do so”. He said that Imran Khan wished to catch all those who plundered national wealth through the legal course of action “but the roots of the mafia in this country are so deep that we couldn’t get a hold of them”. Rashid said the opposition should be afraid of the time when people vent out their anger at them. “People are blaming us for the situation [inflation], but it actually happened because of past rulers,” the minister stressed, while admitting “it is our mistake that we couldn’t explain it to the people.” He said the initiatives taken by the government including disbursement of health and ration cards were not ordinary measures, however, “we just could not let people realise the importance of such facilities”. He also highlighted that he would not shy away from accepting the country was facing a gas crisis at the moment, adding “it is a reality”. Replying to another question on MQM’s former chief, he said talks with him could not be held. Answering a question related to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, Rasheed said: “Your threats will not affect us in any way; you should look at your own conduct. No one else has been as corrupt as you, so you cannot hold us accountable for anything.” He said both the Sharif and Zardari families were “corrupt”, so Prime Minister Imran Khan will continue to fight against their corruption “till his last breath”. The interior minister was also questioned about the founder of MQM Altaf Hussain, and in response, he said that he has known him since his days as a student. “We cannot talk to him (Altaf) anymore because he has too many murder cases registered against his name,” the minister said. “On the other hand, we have had a good relationship with MQM-Pakistan and will continue to do so.” Reacting to Sheikh Rasheed’s statement, senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said that mere mention of Nawaz Sharif’s possible return to Pakistan “has set alarm bells ringing” for the government, adding that once the PML-N supremo returns, “Imran Niazi, Rasheed, and their hired spokespersons will find no place to hide”. Sanaullah said the people of Pakistan are “ready to welcome Nawaz”. The PML-N leader said there were only allegations against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif and that the “government did not have any evidence” against them. “The fear of Nawaz Sharif’s return is not letting him [Imran Khan] sleep,” he said. “Those responsible for causing a tsunami of inflation, incompetence, and corruption are screaming [out of fear now]. They can do whatever they want, but they will eventually have to leave.” He added that a “panicked Imran Niazi” had done away with his party constitution in his alarmed state.