LAHORE: PML-N Nawaz Sharif is all set to arrive in Pakistan today (Saturday) after a four-year self-imposed exile in the UK, and his party is rallying its base, urging supporters to converge at Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore from around the country to greet their leader and showcase the undiminished popularity of the party, which has been declared ‘irrelevant’ by its rivals.

Former finance minister and PML-N stalwart Ishaq Dar confirmed that the elder Sharif would fly in from Dubai to Islamabad via a chartered plane on Saturday afternoon.

“After staying an hour or so in Islamabad, he will leave for Lahore to address a rally at Minar-i-Pakistan,” Mr Dar told journalists on Friday.

According to the party, the elder Sharif will likely land in Islamabad at 12.30pm on a chartered plane and leave for Lahore after a couple of hours. He may first go to his Jati Umra residence before leaving for Minar-i-Pakistan later in the day.

Observers say the reason Nawaz is arriving in Islamabad instead of Lahore is that his touchdown in the capital was necessary to make bail, earlier granted by the Islamabad High Court on Thursday.

“Putting up an emphatic show for the homecoming of Nawaz Sharif is very important to tell everyone around that the PML-N still is a popular party in Lahore, which was once its citadel,” a PMLN leader from Punjab said on Friday. “And the party leadership here will succeed in it, as a lot more is at stake in this regard.”

He said Nawaz’s arrival would give a much-needed impetus to the party at a time when the country was heading for general elections in a few months. “He will lead the party polls campaign and become the premier for the fourth time,” he said.

In Lahore, the PML-N leadership, including Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz, spent a busy day on Friday to ensure that caravans of the party workers from Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan left for Lahore and those who have to come from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab will leave on Satur­day morning. The trio also paid a visit to Minar-i-Pakistan to see the arrangements.

On Friday, PML-N Punjab and Lahore presidents Rana Sanaullah and Saiful Malook Khokhar took a helicopter ride to have an aerial view of the rally’s venue. To charge up local workers, the party also arranged a qawwali night at the venue.

The party reportedly has made staying arrangements for those arriving in Lahore on Friday night.

Some former lawmakers of Lahore have been tasked with arranging accommodation and food.

Even though the party has an ambitious target of assembling one million people, the organisers on Friday placed only 10,000 chairs. Thousands of Punjab police officials, both in uniform and plain clothes, will perform security duties in and outside the venue.

The provincial caretaker government of Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi is also fully cooperating with the PML-N for its political show.

The PML-N has also categorically told ticket aspirants that their candidature may not be considered if they fail to meet the required target of bringing people to the venue on Saturday.

According to the party, only Mr Nawaz will speak at the public meeting. The PML-N has also hired two small aircraft to shower rose petals in Lahore on Saturday.