Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif received a new passport from the federal government on Monday, allowing him to return to Pakistan.
According to the interior ministry, the former prime minister was given a 10-year passport. According to sources in the media, the passport was issued on April 23 and was classified as “urgent.”
Nawaz Sharif’s entitlement to a diplomatic passport, according to newly sworn-in Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, will be granted to him soon.
In a press conference following his inauguration as a member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s new cabinet, he expressed sadness that “a person who has been Prime Minister three times is being robbed of national citizenship.”
A petition contesting the issuance of a diplomatic passport to the former prime minister was also found inadmissible by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), and the petitioner was fined Rs5,000.
After being reserved by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, the decision was announced. Nawaz should not be granted a passport, according to the petitioner, because he is a “absconding prisoner.”
PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif announced earlier this month that Nawaz Sharif is anticipated to return to Pakistan after Eid.
The decision on Nawaz Sharif’s expected return will be discussed with the coalition partners, according to the PML-N leader, who also stated that all decisions will be taken up first with the coalition’s constituent parties.
However, Nawaz Sharif’s spokesperson, Muhammad Zubair, avoided making clear comments about the PML-N supremo’s return, stating that “this was a sensitive matter that could not be discussed at this stage.”
After spending only a few months of a 10-year prison sentence on corruption charges, Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from holding public office by the Supreme Court in 2017. He then travelled abroad for medical treatment.
Since being released from prison, he has lived in London for the past two years.
