PM Sharif returns to Pakistan after eights weeks in London

After a gap of nearly eight weeks, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who underwent an open heart surgery in London on May 31, returned to Pakistan on Saturday in the evening.

He was running the country from London with the help of a camp office. The biggest challenge for him on his return would be to reach out to Saudi Arabia after reports of involvement of a Pakistani in the Medina attack. On Friday, 12 Pakistanis were picked up in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of links to the attacks.

The other challenge for him would be to put the suspended India-Pakistan dialogue process on track.

When he left for London in May, for a health check up which necessitated the surgery, Mr. Sharif was under tremendous pressure from the Opposition to quit after the leak of Panama Papers revealed that three of his children who controlled shell companies had brought expensive residential properties in London.

As frenzied Pakistani media begun circulating reports of Mr. Sharif’s return, the PIA deemed it necessary to put out a statement that an aircraft has been deputed to transport Mr. Sharif and his London camp office back to the country. “Now that the PM has recovered after his surgery and is allowed to travel, the whole camp office has to be shifted back to Pakistan.,” the statement said.