ISLAMABAD: After a long interval, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met disgruntled PML-N leader Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan to condole the death of his sister, said an official press release.

The statement, issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said Mr Sharif expressed his deep grief over the demise of Mr Khan’s sister and prayed for the departed soul.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also accompanied the prime minister to the meeting, which took place at Mr Khan’s residence.

Mr Khan, once a central PML-N leader, parted ways with the party in 2018 after an association of more than 34 years.

Back then, Mr Khan said he took the decision “according to his conscience”.

“I have been part of the PML-N for a long time. I do politics of honour, not of power.”

Later, he contested the 2018 elections as an independent candidate from four national and provincial assembly seats in Rawalpindi after claiming that his party awarded most tickets to “political orphans”.

According to media reports, after his departure from PML-N, the PTI tried to woo the estranged leader to join its ranks but refused despite “personal relations” with the party’s founder, Imran Khan.

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PM Shehbaz also visited the residence of Islamabad Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi on Friday to condole the death of his mother, according to a PM Office press release.

“The grief of the passing of a great blessing like mother stays with the bereaved person forever,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2024