Former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif will seek 4th term in office: PML-N

The party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday officially declared that he would be their consensus candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Nawaz Sharif, who has previously held the position of prime minister on three occasions, made a high-profile return to Pakistan in October after spending four years in self-imposed exile in London to evade serving prison sentences related to corruption charges.

Following his return, Sharif's convictions and sentences were overturned on appeal, clearing the way for him to participate in the parliamentary elections. The new prime minister will be elected by the parliament after the vote scheduled for Feb. 8.

Rana Sanaullah Khan, a senior leader in Sharif's party, affirmed Sharif's candidacy, stating, “There is no doubt about it. Nawaz Sharif is our candidate for the office of the prime minister.”

On Tuesday, the returning officer (RO) of National Assembly (NA)-130 Lahore accepted the nomination papers of Nawaz Sharif for the upcoming general elections. Following a thorough scrutiny of the nomination papers, RO Asghar Joya found no objections and approved Nawaz Sharif's candidacy for the constituency in the general elections scheduled for February 8, as reported by The Express Tribune.

Nawaz Sharif is set to face competition in NA-130 from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Dr Yasmin Rashid and 22 other candidates. In addition to NA-130, the PML-N supremo has submitted nomination papers for NA-15 Mansehra. However, as of now, acceptance by the local RO is pending.

Sharif voluntarily stepped down as prime minister in 2017 amid corruption allegations. In July 2018, he received a 10-year prison sentence for his involvement in purchasing luxury apartments in London. Subsequently, in December of the same year, he was handed an additional seven-year sentence for failure to disclose information about the establishment of family-owned steel mills in 1999.