Shehbaz Sharif

"The call took place in response to a request by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to discuss the International Conference on resilient Pakistan," Esther Perez, the resident representative of the IMF confirmed to The Express Tribune.

In an article for the Guardian newspaper, the premier wrote: "International attention has receded, but the waters have not. Large parts of Sindh and Balochistan provinces remain inundated. The number of food-insecure people in Pakistan has doubled to 14 million; another 9 million have been pushed into extreme poverty.

"Pursuant to the powers conferred under the Constitution of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the undersigned is pleased to appoint Ms Maryam Nawaz Sharif as 'Senior Vice President' with immediate effect," stated the notification. It said that Maryam Nawaz is authorised to re-organise the party at all functional tiers/levels as "chief organiser", Geo News reported.

But the year 2022 became the year of forward movement in politics from provincial setup to a federal setup for Shehbaz Sharif, who, after being elected as Member of the National Assembly (MNA) during the 2018 general elections, became the leader of the opposition benches against the Imran Khan regime.

The premier said that the government was facing many difficulties and challenges, reports The Express Tribune. "On the one hand, the government is burdened by the economic destruction caused by the previous government and the resulting inflation, while there are the strict conditions of the IMF (International Monetary Fund)," he said, adding: "We need funds for flood recovery but the IMF has shackled us."

His return comes days after the Islamabad High Court barred the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and NAB from arresting him in an assets-beyond-means reference, while hearing his petition for protective bail that would enable him to surrender before a trial court. Suleman had been in London with his family since 2018 when the National Accountability Bureau (FIA) registered multiple cases against him ahead of the general election and he left Pakistan after appearing in a few hearings, Dawn reported.

In a tweet, he noted that today is SAARC Charter Day, "a reminder of (the) vast untapped potential of regional development, connectivity and cooperation" among South Asian countries, the Express Tribune reported. Sharif said that the people of the SAARC countries are "victims of these missed opportunities", adding that Pakistan is ready to play its role in reviving the organisation.

In a petition to the IHC, filed by Suleman's counsel Amjad Pervaiz, a two-week protective bail was sought in a money laundering case registered against him, The Express Tribune reported. Suleman has stated in a petition that he is a "businessman" and has "never been a public office-holder. He also maintained that a "baseless" and "false case of money laundering" has been filed against him.

Ilyas interrupted Sharif's speech complaining that the later did not mention about the sacrifices of the people of Mirpur who had been displaced to give land for the construction of Mangla Dam in 1965. After concluding his speech, Sharif left the venue in a hurry and when Ilyas tried to get close to him he was manhandled and pushed by the Pakistan Prime Minister's security personal.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its major coalition in country's largest province Punjab, led by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, who is also leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), have been on constant consultations to formulate a plan to take take forward Khan's announcement.