Shehbaz returns after 4 months, urges citizens to practice social distancing
Statesman Report
ISLAMABAD: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on Sunday morning after remaining in the United Kingdom for over four months. Speaking to the media while wearing a face mask on his arrival in Pakistan, Shehbaz said: “I was in London to be with my brother [former prime minister Nawaz Sharif] for his medical treatment. “The doctor that was supposed to treat my brother was on holiday, but he has now returned and will give an appointment for my brother’s heart procedure soon. “The country is going through a tough time at the moment. That is why my brother and I decided it would be best for me to return before all international flights were banned. We will fight this [virus] together,” he said. Announcing his return to the country on Twitter, Shehbaz urged citizens to practice social distancing and to self-isolate if possible. “Just landed in Islamabad — maintain a distance from one another and try to stay at your homes so that none of us are forced to part with our loved ones due to this virus. Love you all!” On Saturday, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb had said in a statement that Shehbaz, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, had decided to return to the country “in view of the situation of the spread of coronavirus”. The PML-N president had left for London in November last year along with PML-N supremo and his older brother Nawaz Sharif, who was allowed to travel abroad by the government and courts to seek medical treatment. Aurangzeb had said although Nawaz was scheduled to undergo surgery next week, Shehbaz had “decided that his presence among the [Pakistani] people was more important”.