ISLAMABAD: Prime Min­i­ster Shehbaz Sharif arr­ived in London on Wednes­day, apparently to consult his elder brother Nawaz Sharif on the appointment of the new army chief later this month, in what is his third visit to the United Kingdom since taking over as premier in April this year.

Almost all members of the PM’s delegation have retur­ned from Sharm El-Sheikh, but Mr Sharif departed for London after attending the UN climate change conference.

Educa­tion Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain confirmed in a private TV talk show that the PM will discuss important issues with Nawaz Sharif, including the appointment of the new army chief.

Also read: Who will be the next army chief?

Mr Sharif will also take up the issue of the long march by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which is likely to kick off today (Thursday) following a brief suspension of the rally in light of a gun attack on party chief Imran Khan in Wazirabad last week.

It has been reported that incumbent COAS Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure is set to end on November 29. The military spokesperson has already announced that Gen Bajwa will not seek an extension to his tenure.

On the other hand, PTI chief Imran Khan lamented that the PM was discussing the appointment of the next army chief with his elder brother, which was a violation of the Official Secrets Act and a breach of his oath.

Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcas­ting Marriyum Aurangzeb termed Prime Minister Sharif’s visit to Egypt ‘very successful’. The minister said that for the first time, there was a global consensus on providing financial resources to compensate for the climate-induced losses suffered by developing countries.

She also criticised protests by the PTI across the country and said that ever since Imran Khan entered politics, he had been engaged in “destruction, creation of chaos and distraction”.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2022