Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif visits elder brother Nawaz in London to 'consult' on appointing new Army chief

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has met his elder brother and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London, apparently to discuss the appointment of the new Army chief later this month, according to a media report on Thursday.

Shehbaz took a detour to the British capital from the COP27 climate conference in Egypt to visit his elder brother Nawaz in London on a "private visit via a private flight", the Dawn newspaper reported.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, 61, would retire on November 29.

The Prime Minister's itinerary was shared by state Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in a tweet, where she wrote, "After attending the COP 27 conference, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif left for London on a private flight".

This is not the first time Shehbaz has turned to his elder brother to seek guidance. It is his third visit to his brother since coming to power in April this year.

Earlier, he visited his brother in September after attending the state funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II where he was said to have discussed the new army chief's appointment.

That visit was also followed by the appointment of Ishaq Dar as finance minister which was speculated to be a desperate move to stabilise the country's stumbling economy.

Shehbaz Sharif is also expected to discuss the issue of opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) long march which is likely to resume today (Thursday) following a brief suspension of the rally in the wake of a gun attack on the party's chairman Imran Khan in Wazirabad last week.

Meanwhile, ousted former premier Khan deplored that the Prime Minister Sharif was discussing the appointment of the next Army chief with his elder brother in violation of the Official Secrets Act and a breach of his oath, the Dawn report said.

Nawaz Sharif has been living in London since November 2019 when he was allowed to go there for medical treatment but never returned. He has served thrice as the prime minister of Pakistan and appointed at least four Army chiefs.