Junaid Safdar to settle in Pakistan to assist Maryam Nawaz in politics

• Junaid and his wife expected to reach Pakistan on Friday from Qatar.
• Maryam is to return to the country after her Geneva visit with Nawaz.
• Junaid is a Cambridge graduate with two bachelor's, two master's degrees.

LONDON: Maryam Nawaz Sharif's son Junaid Safdar is set to reach Pakistan to settle there permanently. Sources have confirmed that Maryam Nawaz will return to Pakistan in two weeks, while her son Junaid and his wife Ayesha Saif will reach Pakistan on Friday from Doha.

Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz left for Geneva on Wednesday afternoon from London to spend a week there. Junaid Safdar accompanied his mother and grandfather on their three-week European visit in October and November. As Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz touched down in Geneva, Junaid and his wife Ayesha were preparing to leave for Pakistan from Doha, Qatar.

The couple reached Doha a week ago and stayed at Ayesha Saif’s house.

A source confirmed that the couple would be shifting to Pakistan permanently to assist Maryam Nawaz in her political activities.

Junaid Safdar, a Cambridge graduate, has two Master's and two Bachelor's degrees from UK universities. He is a polo enthusiast and has won multiple competitions representing British universities.

Maryam is expected to return to the country in about a week after her Geneva visit. However, Nawaz Sharif's return has yet to be finalised. Sources say preparations are underway for the PML-N supremo's return to Pakistan in a few months.

It may be noted that Maryam is likely to take the centre stage after being recently appointed as the senior vice president and chief organiser of PML-N. She was earlier holding the office of PML-N's vice president before the promotion and has been highly active in running the party's election campaigns and holding public gatherings in different cities.

In a statement released on Twitter, Aurangzeb said that Maryam has been appointed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is the PML-N president, under the party's constitution.

Maryam was appointed one of the 16 vice presidents of the party on May 3, 2019.

Her appointment was challenged by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which had expressed its reservations. The then-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had questioned how a person, who has been sentenced by a court, can be appointed as vice-president.