Sharif may return home on Nov 25, claims wife

Islamabad, Nov 24: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will return to the country tomorrow evening, his wife Kulsoom Nawaz said. The announcement came after the exiled leader had a farewell dinner with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh yesterday, the media reported.

A similar statement was made by her brother-in-law Shahbaz Sharif to a TV channel from London.

Begum Nawaz said she was leaving with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz(PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif for Jeddah today.

She further said the whole family would perform 'Umra' in Mecca late this night, visit Madina, then leave for Pakistan tomorrow and land in Lahore the same day in the evening.

Mr Sharif's hastily-scheduled return is expected to transform the volatile political scenario of the country.

Analysts said the attempt by President Pervez Musharraf to keep Mr Sharif in check had backfired as the Saudi King refused to keep him in forced exile and persuaded the military ruler to provide him a level-playing field, like PPP president Benazir Bhutto.

However, according to media reports in case only Begum Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif returns to the country to file nomination for January 8 election, they may be asked to furnish an assurance that Mr Sharif would return only after November 26 and shun contest.

UNI