Nawaz Sharif’s passport is going to expire on February 16 (today), sparking speculation about the possible options available to the three-time former prime minister to extend his stay in the United Kingdom, where he has been residing since November 2019, a private TV channel reported.
The name of the PML-N supreme leader is on the exit control list (ECL), and according to the law a person whose name is on the no-fly list cannot apply for the renewal of his passport. However, Nawaz Sharif can return to the country anytime.
According to reports, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid is likely to give a policy statement on the issue. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, however, refused to comment on Nawaz’s passport renewal.
The interior minister in December last year had announced that the PTI government would not renew Sharif’s existing passport, in an apparent attempt to compel the convicted PML-N leader to return home. “We have decided to cancel Nawaz Sharif’s passport on February 16,” Rashid had said on December 30. Nawaz Sharif, serving a seven-year prison term after his conviction in December 2018, was given a rare permission in October 2019 to get medical treatment abroad in view of a debilitating health condition. The Islamabad High Court (IHC), however, declared him a proclaimed offender on December 2, 2020 as the former premier failed to appear before a bench – originally formed to hear his appeals against his convictions – despite various notices.
