With the Pakistan government being led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, brother and Former PM Nawaz Sharif has been issued a new passport that will enable him to travel to the country, reported local media outlet citing sources.
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 and it is not diplomatic but "ordinary".
This is a key development as ousted PM Imran Khan's government had refused to renew Nawaz's passport after it expired in February last year.
Official documents, seen by the media outlet, show that Nawaz's passport was issued in Islamabad on April 23, 2022, at 2:49pm (PST). The nature of the passport is "ordinary", and it was made in the "urgent" category, according to the available evidence.
A 'credible' source of the outlet 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. The reason behind the appointment's cancellation is not clear.
Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, who sworn-in last week in the Shehbaz cabinet, said 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," he added.
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".
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, reported the media outlet.
Imran Khan had been slamming Nawaz for going abroad for treatment. Earlier in February, the ousted PM noted that letting the PML-N supremo leave Pakistan was a "major mistake" of his government.
( With inputs from ANI )
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