A bill reducing parliamentary disqualification to a maximum of five years was approved in June by the coalition government led by the PML-N, benefiting the PML-N supremo, who had been permanently disqualified from holding public office.
The party is looking forward to Nawaz's reappearance because it believes it will strengthen the PML-N as the government's term ends in mid-August. The elections are likely to be held in October or November.
While speaking at a ceremony to hand out checks for the Prime Minister's Youth Business and Agriculture Loan Scheme, the prime minister said, "Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the entire leadership of the PML-N will change the destiny of the country by taking it on the path of progress and prosperity."
By contrasting the performance of the PML-N governments with that of the PTI's four-year government, he urged the public to make their judgments after considering certain facts and declared that his party will embrace the country's mandate in future elections.
The prime minister said that major corruption scandals, such as those involving sugar and wheat, Rapid Transit Peshawar, Malam Jabba, the sale of Toshakhana presents, and a £190 billion UK agency, "No one could deny these stark facts," he continued.
While praising his elder brother and three-time prime minister Nawaz, PM Shehbaz expressed regret that the former leader was ousted from office despite his efforts to end hours-long crippling load shedding, give youth loans and laptops, and bring about multi-billion dollar CEPC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor) power and road infrastructure projects in 2015.
On the other side, he said that Khan was "hell-bent" on locking them up in "fake cases" because he had a "phobia of the PML-N leadership" and the opposition. He claimed that the PML-N government's revolutionary actions could not be assimilated by the PTI leader.
PM Shehbaz said Nawaz and his party never considered acting against the nation despite experiencing the worst type of political retaliation and being forced into exile after losing power.
He said Khan was elected through "fake elections," and he repeated the allegations of corruption during his four years in office but was unable to back them up.
"Khan used dirty language and tactics against the state institutions when he was removed from power corridors through a constitutional method," the PM added.