LAHORE: Yet another leaked picture of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at a roadside cafe in London sparked a debate about his health on Saturday.

In the picture, Sharif is seen sitting at a roadside eatery with his granddaughters. He is seen sporting a blue shalwar kameez and a cap.

As the picture went viral on social media, it sparked a debate about the former premier’s health with his detractors asking why he does not return to Pakistan if he is well and roaming on London streets, while his supporters expressed joy at seeing their leader in good health and spirits.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb told Dawn that some passerby had taken the picture of Nawaz Sharif when he stopped at a roadside cafe after a walk, and uploaded it on social media.

PML-N says ex-PM stopped at a roadside cafe after a walk in London

Commenting on her father’s picture, Maryam Nawaz tweeted: “The picture of Nawaz Sharif was released with an intent to humiliate him. But the response to it was otherwise. The supporters of Mian sb got happy to see him. His detractors must learn from this.”

She further said when her mother was in the ICU, such elements even tried to take her picture. “For them to take Nawaz Sharif and his family’s women’s pictures is not difficult,” she further tweeted and asked such people to stop indulging in petty things.

Earlier in January, a picture of an ‘ailing’ Nawaz having tea at a London restaurant along with some family members had gone viral, providing a chance to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) leadership to pounce on him for, what it called, feigning his ailment.

The PML-N chided the PTI leaders for doing politics on Mr Sharif’s health, saying the government should get over the “Sharif phobia” and concentrate on addressing important issues facing the country.

Sharif had gone to London in November after the court allowed him a four-week stay abroad for medical treatment. The government, however, did not allow an extension to his stay.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2020