KARACHI/LAHORE: As the PML-N-led government gears up for another shot at securing the passage of a key constitutional amendment in the coming days, the party’s leader is reportedly gearing up for a trip abroad.

Sources told Dawn that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif is set to embark on a private visit to the United States and UK in the first week of October, with speculation about a possible medical appointment during a stopover in London on his return.

However, this would seemingly put his brother’s government at a disadvantage in the National Assembly, where the ruling coalition is already short of votes to secure the two-thirds majority needed to pass an amendment to the Constitution.

The elder Sharif, being an MNA, had camped out in Islamabad earlier this month when the government convened sessions of both houses of parliament over a weekend in a bid to push the ‘Constitutional Pack­age’ through the legislature.

However, that attempt could not materialise as the ruling party failed to secure the support of erstwhile ally, Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Although sources close to the PML-N leader did not confirm any medical engagements, multiple reports have been circulating about an impending trip to London. PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Auran­gzeb did not respond to requests for comment.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024