ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif traveled to London on Wednesday morning, according to local media, to attend an “emergency meeting” convened by Nawaz Sharif, the president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the premier’s elder brother.
Sharif’s visit has attracted significant criticism, with many experts and critics claiming that a prime minister should not go on a private tour to deal with party matters during a time of economic and constitutional crisis in Pakistan.
Several federal ministers will also be in London to visit Nawaz, including Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Railways Ministers Khawaja Saad Rafique, and Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, and Power Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz and PML-N members are going to London on a private visit to meet with Nawaz Sharif,” Information Minister Aurangzeb said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the purpose of the visit was to hold consultations on key issues facing the country and that it was not an “unusual process” within political parties.
Nawaz told journalists in London on Tuesday that he was looking forward to meeting the Prime Minister and those who would be accompanying him, and that they would discuss the present situation as well as “the way forward.”
