Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader and Economic Affairs Minister Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday revealed that his party supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan next month.

The PML-N leader made the claim while speaking on Geo News‘ programme “Capital Talk”. The PML-N supremo has been living in London in self-exile for the past almost four years.

Nawaz will allocate tickets to candidates for the next general elections, the PML-N leader said, adding that the polls would be held in the country in 2023.

“It seems that the assemblies would be dissolved between March-June 2023,” he predicted.

The PML-N supremo had left for London in November 2019 following his illness as then-prime minister Imran Khan had permitted him to go abroad for medical treatment.

In 2018, an accountability court sentenced Nawaz to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, while he was also sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison and slapped an £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) in the Avenfield properties reference.

Subsequently, in 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) after suspending his sentence, allowed Nawaz to go abroad for medical treatment.

A timeline of Nawaz Sharif’s case

• On the night between October 21 and 22, 2019, Nawaz Sharif’s condition deteriorated and he was shifted to a hospital.
• On October 25, he was granted bail on medical grounds in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
• On October 26, the PM-N supremo was granted interim bail on humanitarian grounds in the Al-Azizia reference.
• On October 26, Nawaz suffered a mild heart attack, Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid confirmed the development.
• On October 29, Nawaz Sharif’s sentence was suspended for two months on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia reference.
• He was discharged from Nawaz Sharif Services Hospital and was shifted to Jati Umra.
• On November 8, Shehbaz Sharif requested the Interior Ministry to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
• On November 12, the federal cabinet gave Nawaz conditional permission to leave the country.
• On November 14, the PML-N challenged the condition of indemnity bond in the Lahore High Court.
• On November 16, the Lahore High Court allowed Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment.
• On November 19, 2019, Nawaz Sharif left for London for his treatment.