Shahbaz joins Nawaz’s sons in London for Kulsoom’s funeral
LONDON/ LAHORE: As the Punjab government extended the parole of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law for five days allowing them to attend the last rites of his wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shahbaz Sharif along with his son Hamza Shahbaz arrived at London on Wednesday evening to take her body back to Lahore for burial at their Jati Umra residence on Friday.
Talking to the media at the airport, Mr Shahbaz paid tribute to Begum Kulsoom and said she was a brave lady who faced very difficult circumstances valiantly especially in 1999 when she was faced with the might of martial law. Regarding the release of the former premier, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law retired Capt Mohammad Safdar on parole, the PML-N president said that all the space available under the relevant law would be availed.
To condole her demise, PML-N and other political party workers visited the Sharif family residence at Avenfield House. Former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Sanaullah Zehri and Rasikh Elahi, son of Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, were prominent among the visitors. A PML-N leader told Dawn that Begum Kulsoom’s funeral would also be held in London’s Regent’s Park mosque on Thursday at 12.15pm (BST) before the one for which arrangements were being made in Lahore. “Namaz-i-Janaza is being held in London, because her sons Hasan and Hussain cannot come to Pakistan,” he said.
Punjab govt extends parole of Sharifs for five days; another funeral in Sharif Medical Complex tomorrow
The family sources confirmed that her body had been shifted to the mortuary of Regent Park mosque in Central London for funeral after which her casket would be flown to Lahore on a PIA flight (PK758) which would leave the Heathrow Airport at 6.15pm (BST). They said the family had received a death certificate issued by the private hospital, where Begum Kulsoom Nawaz died on Tuesday, and the “out-of-England” letter from the coroner’s court, paving the way for the departure of her body for Lahore on Thursday evening.