Zardari, Bilawal visit Nawaz today for condolence

ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari and Chairman Pakistan People's Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit Lahore today (Sunday) to condole with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on the demise of his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.

Former prime ministers Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, and PPP leaders Qamar Zaman Kaira, Syed Khursheed Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar and Chaudhry Manzoor will also accompany them.

After the condolence meeting with Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will return to Islamabad to attend the joint sitting of both the Houses of parliament, scheduled to be held on Monday in which President Dr Arif Alvi will address parliament to kick off the first Parliamentary year of the newly-elected National Assembly as per the Constitution.

The PPP has already summoned the parliamentary party meeting of the PPP to formulate strategy for the upcoming session of the National Assembly, scheduled to be started from Tuesday in which the PTI government is set to present the revised Finance Bill to make amendment in finance Bill 2018, income tax and customs laws.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari being the parliamentary leader of the PPP will chair the parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif has thanked all supporters, workers and leaders of the party and other political parties, foreign and national dignitaries for expressing their sympathies on the death of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.He announced that to save everyone from any inconvenience, Qul of Kulsoom Nawaz would be restricted to close family members only. In a massage of gratitude, he said that it was heartening and very reassuring at this time of utter grief, how thousands of PML-N supporters had expressed their grief and solidarity with the Sharif family. He commended their spirit for braving hot and stuffy weather to be there.

He also thanked the national and foreign dignitaries for coming to express their condolences and support at the great loss to the family and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and the rest of the family.

Shahbaz said that the family recognises the gesture by everyone as most precious and, in order to not cause any inconvenience to everyone, the Sharif family had decided that Qul of Kulsoom Nawas, due to be held on Sunday (today), would only be restricted to the close family members.

However, all those who wish to pray for the deceased can hold prayers at the local places of their convenience, he added.