LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz is approaching the second tier of the PML-N leadership urging them to motivate the maximum activists to accord a warm welcome to PML-N quaid Nawaz Sharif and her at Lahore airport on Friday, a PML-N official told Dawn on Wednesday.

The desperate move apparently reflects her lack of satisfaction at the pace of arrangements being made by senior leadership and for that reason, she has sprung into action for mobilising the party’s rank and file.

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She’s also taking input about possible assembling points for the workers for marching jointly towards the airport, he said, adding the points would be made public on Friday morning.

Party President Shahbaz Sharif led a rally in the city on Wednesday for mobilising the workers.

Mr Sharif and Maryam both have been convicted by an accountability court on July 6 of possessing assets beyond their known sources of income. They will have to first surrender before the National Accountability Bureau in 10 days of the announcement of the verdict to be eligible to challenge the verdict in an appellate court.

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Beside the legal requirement, both Mr Sharif and Maryam are also facing political compulsion of improving party’s stakes in the July 25 vote by returning home for observers believe that PML-N’s electioneering is not gaining momentum in their absence.

The Punjab government has imposed Section 144 in Lahore which prohibits assembly of more than four people at a place.

There are reports of diverting the flight carrying the duo to Islamabad or Multan on Friday while NAB has declared arresting the convicts as and when they land in Pakistan.

A PML-N official says that keeping in view the legal bar and other obstacles they are planning their strategy accordingly. He says the flight diversion reports are being leaked to confuse the party workers and stop them from reaching the airport.

He says workers would not indulge in any violence nor they will take the situation to a point where law-enforcing agencies arrest them.

“We need our workers free on the polling day, therefore, no such activity will be undertaken that provides law-enforcers a chance to put them behind bars,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2018