Nawaz Sharif 'changes' travel plan for Dubai over urgent meeting

DUBAI: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif cancelled his flight to Dubai, from where he is expected to begin his journey to Pakistan, due to an urgent meeting with a top Saudi official, a source told The News.

The PML-N leader was expected to arrive in Dubai around 5pm (UAE time) today from Jeddah however the flight was cancelled at the last minute because of an important meeting, a trusted source confirmed.

“Nawaz Sharif’s flight from Jeddah to Dubai was booked for Thursday noon but it was cancelled in the morning due to the urgency of an important meeting with a Saudi official,” the source told The News.

It’s understood that the meeting time was allotted at the last minute as the same official could not meet the former Pakistani premier due to the host country’s busy schedule amid the Israel-Hamas war and the crucial Saudi role in the current crisis.

The source said Nawaz will be arriving in Dubai on Thursday night instead along with his entourage. He’s currently in Saudi Arabia along with his son Hussain, businessman Mian Nasir Janjua and others.

Nawaz will be meeting a selected group of people on Thursday and will leave for Pakistan on Saturday morning, first to Islamabad and then to Lahore.

Nawaz will be accompanied by around 150 people on his return to Pakistan in a chartered plane. Journalists, politicians and activists have booked the ticket for Pakistan's return.

The three-time premier reached London on November 19, 2019, when he fell critically ill in prison.

It was alleged by the family that the Imran Khan-led government and his “backers” had tried to poison Nawaz. He was treated at the Harley Street Clinic and London Bridge Hospital for four months.

Nawaz had been diagnosed with an immune system disorder and doctors in Pakistan recommended that he should go abroad for treatment as his condition continued to deteriorate despite the best possible care in the country.

Nawaz — who has been in self-imposed exile in London since November 2019 owing to health reasons — was disqualified for life in 2017 by the Supreme Court for not declaring a receivable salary.