ISLAMABAD, Sept 23: PML-N leader Chaudhry Nisar has indicated that the members of the Sharif family would not be returning home in the near future owing to a host of difficulties.

“They (the Sharifs) are ready to return, face all eventualities, including false cases, only if the government issues them passports,” Mr Nisar told a news conference at the National Assembly cafeteria here on Tuesday.

Flanked by party’s Senator Ishaq Dar and MNA Khawaja Asif, the PML-N leader said the Sharifs were not free citizens, they were forced to go into exile, therefore, they could not return at their own free will.

Bracing a volley of questions on why the former ruling family needed passports to return to the country they belonged, he said passports were in any case necessary to make exit from Saudi Arabia.

He said the government and the “bogus” League were afraid of the Sharifs homecoming because of their popular support which the other party badly lacked.

Mr Nisar had called the news conference to “vehemently” repudiate conjectures that he had differences with the leadership and that he was vulnerable to defection. “This is absolutely baseless; I have difference of opinion within the organization but that is always a democratic right and does not mean that I am switching my political loyalty,” he said at the outset.

He also dismissed as “absurd” a general perception that he had differences with PML-N acting-president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi saying he had no personality clash with any leader.

He claimed his differences with the leadership were based on certain “policy issues” which he had expressed within the party and the ARD forum. He refused to make them public.

But, he said, the differences were at present being taken care of and would hopefully be sorted out fairly soon.

Mr Dar and Mr Asif praised Mr Nisar and said he was a senior party leader and would be taking active part in the opposition’s campaign sooner than later.

In reply to a question, the PML-N leader said the unity of five PML factions was a gathering of zeros which would make no impact as they had no popular following.

“You may see pretty soon who will have the last laugh,” he added.