Sharif to take GT Road to Lahore to prove popularity
ISLAMABAD:Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif will travel from Islamabad to Lahore via the famous Grand Trunk Road on Wednesday, in a bid to show his popularity among Pakistanis.
Asif Kirmani, a spokesman, said Sharif’s schedule was changed at the “eleventh hour”. Initially, he was supposed to travel to Lahore via motorway — Pakistan’s high-speed highway —on Sunday, but PML-N lawmakers persuaded him to travel via the GT Road. Security concerns resulted in the travel plans being pushed to Wednesday.
Immediately after Sharif was disqualified as premier, he and his family vacated the prime minister’s official residence in Islamabad and travelled to Murree. On Sunday, the PML-N chief, along with family members and aides, departed Changla Gali — a small village near Murree — and was greeted by supporters in Bhara Kahu on his way to Punjab House in Islamabad.
Sharif will use the trip to Lahore — his first since disqualification by the Supreme Court— to garner support for himself and the PML-N. He will also make several stops along the way. Kirmani said the first pit stop will be at Jhelum city, where he is expected to address a public gathering.
The next stop will be in Gujranwala.
However, local police officers aren’t happy — they feel that Sharif’s trip exposes him to unnecessary risks.