Tariq Butt, Correspondent
Another leaked picture of Pakistan ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif at a roadside cafe in London has sparked a debate about his health.
In the picture, Sharif is seen sitting at a roadside eatery with his granddaughters. He is seen sporting a blue shalwar kameez and a cap.
As the picture went viral on social media, it sparked a debate about his health with his detractors asking why he does not return to Pakistan if he is well and roaming on London streets, while his supporters expressed joy at seeing their leader in good health and spirits.
Nawaz Sharif with his granddaughters in London.
Commenting on the picture, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President and Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nazwaz observed that the purpose of uploading the snapshot was defamation and not promotion.
In a tweet, she noted that the purpose of click was not promotion but defamation, which as usual did not work. Expressing her resentment, she said it was not a big deal to take his picture along with his female family members "secretively” for those who could forcefully get into the intensive care unit and attempt to take the pictures of her faint mother.
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that some passerby had taken the picture of Sharif when he stopped at a roadside cafe after a walk, and uploaded it on social media.
Earlier in January, a picture of ailing Sharif having tea at a London restaurant along with some family members had gone viral, providing a chance to the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leadership to pounce on him for, what it called, feigning his ailment.
The PML-N chided the PTI leaders for doing politics on Mr Sharif’s health, saying the government should get over the "Sharif phobia” and concentrate on addressing important issues facing the country.
Sharif had gone to London in November after the court allowed him a four-week stay abroad for medical treatment. The government, however, did not allow an extension to his stay.