September 25, 2022
The top leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) will meet again today to decide if former finance minister Ishaq Dar will accompany Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or not as the PM leaves for home today, Geo News reported on Sunday.
Ishaq Dar said PM Shehbaz and the PML-N supremo, Nawaz Sharif, will make the decision today.
The two top leaders of the PML-N held a significant meeting in London yesterday. The sources said the meeting lasted for several hours.
According to sources, Sharifs decided that Ishaq Dar would take charge of the finance ministry as the federal finance minister on Tuesday. The current finance minister, Miftah Ismail, will continue working as part of the government's economic team, sources said.
Ishaq Dar, speaking to reporters in London, said, "Since the earlier meeting was a family gathering, they will meet again today (Sunday)."
He said he has Wednesday's reservation to return to Pakistan. But, the final decision on whether to go back home with PM Shehbaz or not will be taken today, he added.
On September 24, PM Shehbaz and Nawaz Sharif decided that Dar would assume charge as the finance minister.
Shehbaz flew to London on Saturday after attending the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The PML-N's top leaders held a discussion for over four hours at Shehbaz’s flat. Dar was also in attendance. A source privy to the meeting revealed that Dar has been decided to assume charge as the finance minister on Tuesday.
PM Shehbaz is set to leave for Pakistan today [Sunday] and it’s not clear yet whether Dar will accompany him or not.
The source said that Nawaz had not been happy with the economic policies of Miftah and had called for a change in the direction of economic policies.
According to the source, Nawaz is concerned that the PML-N's support base has been negatively impacted by the rise in commodity prices that directly impacted people.
On September 23, Dar told Geo News that he said that he would take oath as a snator immediately after his return to Pakistan.