Why did Nawaz Sharif leave for China?

ISLAMABAD: 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.

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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.