The federal government on Monday issued a new passport to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, enabling him to travel to Pakistan.
According to media reports, the PML-N supremo was issued a passport with a 10-year validity on April 23 and it was made in the “ordinary” category on urgent basis.
Earlier on Tuesday, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah had said that a diplomatic passport is Nawaz Sharif’s right and will be issued to him soon.
He had regretted that “it is unfortunate that a person who has been prime minister three times is being deprived of national citizenship.”
Moreover, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also declared a petition challenging the issuance of a diplomatic passport to former premier as inadmissible, and imposed a fine of Rs5,000 on the petitioner.
The petitioner had contended that Nawaz should not be issued a passport on the grounds that he is an “absconding convict”.
It is pertinent to mention that the PTI government had refused to renew Nawaz’s passport after it expired in February last year. However, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed had said that if the PML-N supremo wants to return, he can be issued a special certificate.
Nawaz was barred by the Supreme Court in 2017 from holding public office and subsequently went abroad for medical treatment after serving just a few months of a 10-year jail sentence on corruption charges.
He has lived for the last two years in London since being let out of jail.
The former prime minister’s new passport is valid for 10 years — till April 2032. The passport’s status is “active” as per the evidence shared by a trusted source.
A credible source said that Nawaz’s appointment for fingerprints at Pakistan High Commission was set for April 23, at Pakistan High Commission London, but it was cancelled the last time, however, the reason behind the appointment’s cancellation is not clear.
The newly sworn-in Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah said last week that a diplomatic passport was Nawaz’s Sharif right and it would be issued to him.
“It is unfortunate that a person who has been prime minister three times is being deprived of national citizenship,” the interior minister had said.
But the passport issued to Nawaz is not diplomatic but “ordinary”.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had Monday dismissed a petition challenging the possible issuance of a diplomatic passport to Nawaz. The court dismissed the petition stating that it is “based on unreliable material and is, therefore, frivolous”.
Advocate Naeem Haider Panjutha had filed a petition in the IHC based on media reports that said Nawaz was being issued a diplomatic passport on the instructions of his brother and newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Two weeks back, the federal government directedthe Ministry of Interior to renew the passports of the ex-prime minister and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
Imran Khan’s government had refused to renew Nawaz’s passport after it expired in February last year but then-interior minister Sheikh Rasheed had said if the PML-N supremo wanted to return he could be issued a special certificate.
The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019, and a month later, he was allowed to travel abroad for treatment for four weeks — but he is still in London to date.
Khan had repeatedly lashed out at Nawaz for going abroad for treatment, but earlier in February, he noted that letting the PML-N supremo leave Pakistan was a “major mistake” of his government.
