ISLAMABAD: Amidst rumours about the possible return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Wednesday that it was just "useless chatter" by the Opposition to gain some traction in the media.
Sharif was in prison serving his term after conviction by an accountability court when the Lahore High Court allowed him in 2019 to go to London for medical treatment for four weeks but he never came back at the end of the deadline.
His party has maintained that 71-year-old Sharif would be back when allowed by the doctors.
"Unnecessary hype is being created around Sharif's return," said the interior minister, who on Sunday offered to buy an air ticket for the PML-N supremo in case he was willing to return Pakistan from London where has been living since 2019 for medical treatment.
Speaking to the media in Rawalpindi, Rashid sarcastically added that his offer of a one-way ticket to Pakistan for Sharif was still valid.
He also said it was unfortunate that people who spent most of their life in Pakistan eventually leave the country instead of loving it.
Rashid said that the Opposition wanted to bring the government under pressure by talking about the return of Sharif but it would not make any difference to the government.
During a media interaction on Tuesday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that Sharif would never come back on his own.
"Nawaz Sharif will never return home voluntarily, rather the government will bring him back once the agreement with the UK government is finalized," he said.
Their remarks came amidst rumours and statements that Sharif would stage his comeback sooner than expected.
The latest statement was made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former National Assembly speaker Ayaz Sadiq about possible return of Sharif.
Earlier, Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz last week said that Sharif would soon come back but refused to share any time line for his return.