Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has reunited with his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif in London three years after authorities returned her passport following a court order.
Maryam, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president, who arrived in London on Thursday, was received by her brother Hassan Nawaz Sharif and son Junaid Safdar at Heathrow Airport.
Maryam had in 2019 surrendered her passport to the Lahore High Court to get bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Her passport was returned just days after the Islamabad High Court set aside her conviction in the Avenfield properties case.
Soon after arriving in London, a picture on social media showed Maryam hugging her brother.
Her visit to London marks the first time since she met her brothers Hussain and Hassan three years after the passing of their mother Kulsoom Nawaz in 2019 in London.
The PML-N vice president is here for a month and is scheduled to return to Pakistan on November 6.
Maryam will reportedly undergo a medical procedure during her visit and speculations are high that she and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan together.
Nawaz Sharif, 72, who was convicted in the Avenfield properties case and sentenced to ten years in prison, has been in London since November 2019 after arriving here for a medical emergency.
PML-N supporters on Thursday waited for the 48-year-old Maryam at Heathrow Airport's arrival area but were met by arch-rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters who had gathered there to chant slogans against her.
The PML-N vice president, however, left the airport via a different exit.
Hundreds of PML-N supporters lined up outside the Avenfield House awaiting their leader's arrival.
Some played dhol while others danced and chanted “Teri awaz, meri awaz (your voice, my voice) Maryam Nawaz” and “welcome, welcome”.
One worker distributed sweets, saying “we are celebrating [the arrival of] our leader”.
The scene was dotted by Met police officers in high-visibility jackets as the locality has often been the site of face-offs between the PTI and PML-N supporters.
The leader, who was embraced at the entrance of the building by her brother Hussain, thanked her supporters and went inside to meet her father and other family members.
Hussain Nawaz on Wednesday told the media that he last met his sister when "she left with Mian sb for Pakistan, where upon arrival at Lahore airport she was arrested".
He said that his family and Maryam have since then "borne the devastating losses of our mother, our grandmother, and endured those tragedies apart from each other".
“It was heart-wrenching to see her [Ms. Sharif] go to jail because of Imran Khan and his government. It is painful for any brother to see his sister go through that. When she arrives, we will talk to each other and share our grief,” he said of the PTI chief who was in April this year ousted following a dramatic no-confidence motion that he blamed on US conspiracy.
Kulsoom Nawaz passed away in London in September 2018 when the former premier and Maryam were incarcerated at Adiala Jail. They were allowed to attend Kulsoom Nawaz's final rites in Lahore on parole.
Prior to her departure for London, Maryam at the Lahore airport told the media: “I can't wait for the moment that my plane lands and I meet my father.” A heart-warming photograph of Maryam being received by her father has gone viral on social media where the father-daughter duo could be seen in an emotional mood as they embraced each other after three years.
The PML-N and Maryam shared photos on their respective Twitter handles.
AN ASIAN writer has explained how his new book makes Britain’s imperial past “accessible, engaging and thought-provoking” for a younger audience.
Award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s new book, Journeys of Empire, explores empire through 10 journeys he described as being “extraordinary”. Sanghera said his book, published last month by Puffin UK, is “a way of helping children understand how Britain’s biggest story still shapes the world today.”
“We’re not taught this history very well,” he told Eastern Eye.
“The empire is morally complex – sometimes we were good, sometimes bad – so, how do you even begin talking about it? It’s also contentious. There are millions of us whose families were colonised, and millions whose families were the colonisers.”
Teachers cannot teach what they themselves were never taught, Sanghera pointed out.
“There are multiple layers to why British people are so bad at talking about this history. It touches on race, misogyny and geopolitics. It’s easier just not to talk about it.”
And , the cover of his book
Following the success of his bestselling children’s title Stolen History, Sanghera’s this latest work continues Sanghera’s mission to write for readers aged nine and above. With a focus on human experiences, Sanghera said he wanted show that history is not just a list of dates or conquests – it’s a tapestry of stories that connect people.
Born in Wolverhampton to Punjabi immigrant parents, he began school unable to speak English. Later he graduated with first-class honours in English language and literature from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
He has since built a career as a writer and journalist.
His memoir, The Boy with the Topknot, and his novel, Marriage Material, were both shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards. Empireland, Sanghera’s exploration of Britain’s colonial legacy, was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non- Fiction, named a Book of the Year at the 2022 National Book Awards, and inspired the Channel 4 documentary series Empire State of Mind.
His first children’s book, Stolen History, introduced young readers to the complex and often overlooked realities of empire. With Journeys of Empire, Sanghera aims to go further. “When I finally learned about the British empire, it changed how I saw myself, how I saw Britain, and how I saw India,” he said.
“It seemed obvious that you’d want to give this gift to young people – because your 40s is a bit late to be learning all this.”
Sanghera said the 10 journeys in the book take readers across continents and centuries, revealing both the ambition and the brutality of empire.
“The British empire covered a quarter of the world’s surface and a large portion of its population. It was seven times the size of the Roman empire,” he said.
Aiming to ensure diversity in both perspective and geography, Sanghera said he chose stories from various countries and different phases of the 400-year history.
Alongside India and Mahatma Gandhi, readers will learn about Guyana’s indentured labour system, Gertrude Bell’s adventures in Iraq, and the British invasion of Tibet led by Francis Younghusband.
“I wanted to highlight areas often left out of mainstream narratives,” the writer said. The stories are written with an accessible and honest tone, and with humour.
“Violence is a tricky area,” Sanghera said. “You can’t go into graphic detail, but you also shouldn’t whitewash it. The violence and racism of colonialism were intrinsic. “I tried to strike a balance - acknowledging the brutality without overwhelming young readers.”
Writing for children isn’t much different from writing for adults, Sanghera said.
“You still need engaging stories and to hold attention. The main thing is to avoid big words that might put them off.”
He pointed out how storytelling can counter the allure of digital screens.
“Kids are addicted to screens, and reading rates are falling globally. That’s disastrous for mental health, intellectual development, and politics,” he said.
“When you get news from screens, you’re in an echo chamber – you’re not being challenged or taught to think in a nuanced way.”
Sanghera’s hope is that stories of Journeys of Empire – from pirates to princes and explorers to rebels – will draw in young readers to a world of curiosity and reflection. He said, “The British empire is a complex story. Even the ‘good guys’ had flaws. That’s what makes it worth understanding.”
At the heart of his book is a message about complexity and contradiction. “The empire involved slavery and the abolition of slavery. It caused environmental destruction and inspired environmentalism. We live in a world that struggles with nuance, but that’s what makes us human,” Sanghera said.
“My hope is that readers – kids and adults – learn that opposite things can be true at the same time.”
After six years of writing about empire, Sanghera said he’s ready for a change. His next book will focus on the late pop star George Michael, due out in June next year.
“I thought George Michael would be a nice break from empire. But then I learned that his father came from Cyprus - which was under British rule. The reason he left Cyprus was because of the British. So, even George Michael’s story connects back to empire. You can’t escape it, wherever you go.”
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