LAHORE: PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif left for China on a ‘low-profile’ five-day visit, with the ruling party refusing to divulge details about the nature of his trip.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar did not confirm the elder Sharif’s “unannounced visit” to Beijing.“I have no idea (about Nawaz Sharif’s China visit),” Mr Tarar told Dawn. However, a PML-N minister confirmed to Dawn that the elder Sharif had indeed left for China on a “private visit”.
Media reports suggested the visit was of a ‘personal nature’, during which he will undergo a “medical check-up” and hold meetings with some Chinese companies regarding development works in Punjab, where his daughter Maryam Nawaz is the chief minister. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Maryam’s son Junaid Safdar are accompanying him.
A source close to the Sharif family told Dawn that the purpose of the elder Sharif’s visit was not discussed with the party leadership. “The programme of [Nawaz] Sharif’s visit to China has been kept secret from the party and the PML-N government. Perhaps some very close associates of the elder Sharif would know the exact nature of his visit,” he said.
The insider said it was being speculated in party circles whether the elder Sharif had some ‘special assignment’ in China, which could not be carried out by his younger brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif has never visited China in the past for medical reasons, preferring to travel instead to London, where he has undergone multiple procedures. Most recently, he remained there from 2019 to 2023.
The Punjab government will provide 1kV solar power system each to 50,000 households in the province.
Approving the grant of 1kV solar power system to 50,000 households in Punjab, the chief minister directed to start the pilot project immediately. “Protected consumers consuming up to 100 units of electricity will be eligible under the programme in the first phase. In a 1kV system, two solar panels, battery, inverter, and wires will be provided to consumers.”
