Shehbaz departs for London to bring back Begum Kulsoom's body

Shehbaz departed from the Allama Iqbal International Airport via a foreign airline.

The funeral prayers of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif's wife, Begum Kulsoom, will be offered at the Regent Park mosque on Thursday after Zuhr and her body will be flown to Lahore after completion of legal formalities.

Her body has been moved to a mortuary near the Regent Park mosque.

The Sharif family has said that the former premier's wife will be laid to rest on Friday in Jati Umra.

Begum Kulsoom, the wife of former prime minister Nawaz, passed away in London on Tuesday after battling cancer. She was 68.

Nawaz, Maryam released on parole for Begum Kulsoom's funeral

The former prime minister, his daughter, Maryam, and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar were released from Adiala Jail on parole hours after Begum Kulsoom passed away.

Nawaz, Maryam and his son-in-law Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar have been released on 12-hour parole to attend Begum Kulsoom's funeral.

The Punjab cabinet is, however, likely to extend the parole of the three. The Sharif family has requested that a five-day parole be granted to them.

The three were escorted by police from Adiala Jail to the Nur Khan Airbase from where they were brought to Lahore.

Nawaz, Maryam and Capt Safdar are currently at their Jati Umra residence where they are meeting family members and party leaders.

Extremely painful to know I wasn't by mother's side: Maryam

Former first daughter Maryam Nawaz said Tuesday night she was "deeply saddened" by the fact that was unable to be by the bedside of her ailing mother, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, during her last moments.

While speaking to media before she was flown off from Rawalpindi to Lahore's Jati Umra for her mother's funeral, the PML-N leader said: "Today was extremely difficult after learning of my mother's death.

"It was extremely painful to know that I wasn't by my mother's side" as she breathed her last, she added. "I am deeply saddened."