ISLAMABAD: As the passport of deposed prime minister and PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif expires tonight, the government has refused to renew it but said it will issue a special certificate to enable his return if he so desires.
In December, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed had announced to cancel Sharif’s passport once it expired at midnight on February 16 (today).
After spending a year in prison, Sharif, 71, secured a conditional bail in November 2019 to travel to London on the pretext of medical treatment and has since refused to return.
His party insists that despite being summoned by the courts, that declared him a proclaimed offender in separate corruption probes, the former premier will only return after the completion of his medical treatment.
“The names of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz are on the Exit Control List (ECL) since August 20, 2018,” Ahmed said during a press briefing in Islamabad. “Those who have their names in the no-fly list are not issued passports, neither are they renewed.”
Ahmed observed it was Islamabad High Court (IHC) that ordered Sharif to return to the country.
Seperately, he told Arab News that the deposed premier did not wish to return to Pakistan of his own choice, not because of an issue with his passport.
“If he [Sharif] wants to return, we can issue an emergency travel document (ETD) to him,” he said.
In October, Islamabad asked “duty-bound” London to deport Sharif to serve out his seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference.
The letter cited England’s immigration laws of 1974 under which any person sentenced to imprisonment of more than four years had to be deported to the country of their origin.
PTI TO DOMINATE POST-POLL SENATE:
He also expressed confidence that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, would emerge victorious in the upcoming Senate elections, scheduled to be held on March 3.
Talking to media persons in the federal capital, he said: “the PTI will emerge victorious in the upcoming Senate elections under the leadership of Imran Khan. All members of national and provincial assemblies will vote as per the party decision.”
He disagreed with the impression that there would be any surprise in the Senate polls for the PTI. Moreover, he expressed the hope that PTI candidate Hafeez Sheikh would secure victory in the senate elections.
The minister said the capital police would be provided 100 power bikes and 20 cars for security purpose in the city, adding that 300 check posts in the city had been removed while remaining would also be removed soon.
He said there will be political stability and a reduction in rumour-mongering after the polls.
He further said the country will move forward in terms of finance under the able leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The minister said the network of NADRA offices will be expanded at the tehsil level. He said the agency will issue 100,000 CNICs a day.
He said the fee for ten-year passports has also been reduced.
He urged motorcyclists to observe their lane on the roads as it would help save them from any undue incident.
“The Islamabad city will be the most peaceful and organized city in the country,” the minister said.
About Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) long march, he said the government would not create any hurdle in their way till they followed law of the land.
“If the marchers follow the constitution and law, the government will not create any obstruction in their way,” he added.
Sheikh Rasheed said he had advised the PDM leadership to delay long march as the holy month of Ramazan would be approaching soon after their arrival.
“I have not made any appeal to PDM leadership to delay [their] long march”, he said, adding: “I just ask them to rethink their decision keeping in view the holy month of Ramzan”.
