Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Friday said he had written to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser regarding the prolonged absence of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

In a post shared on Twitter, the PTI minister said that his letter to Qaiser, he urged the speaker to inquire from Shehbaz his final date of his return to the National Assembly otherwise the process of choosing a new opposition leader should be initiated.

"The opposition leader plays an important role in legislation and he is also receiving special privilegesHis absence is a violation of Assembly rules," he said, adding that the post could not be left empty for a very long time.

"After giving a guarantee for Nawaz Sharif's return, Shehbaz Sharif, himself has disappeared," he said.

Chaudhry said in his letter to the NA speaker, he told Qaiser that the opposition leader had not appeared before the Parliament for a "long time" and had also left his post as chief of the Public Accounts Committee.

Following the PTI minister's tweet, PML-N leader Talal Chaudhry said that they too had submitted a letter to the NA speaker that the "flour and sugar stealing prime minister" is missing from the Parliament.

Shehbaz left for London in November of last year when he accompanied his elder brother Nawaz to London for treatment.

Ahead of the departure, Shehbaz had submitted an undertaking in the Lahore High Court, ensuring the return of Nawaz within four weeks or as and when certified by the doctors that he had regained his health and was fit to return to Pakistan.

Just days after leaving for London, it was reported that the opposition leader had also relinquished his role as the PAC chairman.

In his resignation, which he submitted on November 18, a day before leaving, Shehbaz had nominated PML-N MNA from Sheikhupura Rana Tanvir Hussain as his replacement.

Last month, PML-N Punjab president Rana Sanaullah said that there was a reason behind Shehbaz's extended stay in London and he would return at an appropriate time, probably in March.

Additional reporting by Javed Hussain