Sheikh‌ ‌Rasheed‌ ‌Denies‌ ‌Renewal‌ ‌of‌ ‌Nawaz‌ ‌Sharif’s‌ ‌Passport‌ ‌

Sheikh Rasheed, the Interior Minister, on Tuesday explicitly stated that the passport of the former Prime Minister of the country will not be renewed. He stated that the government of Pakistan will not do anything to issue a special certificate to Nawaz Sharif to enable his return. 

At a briefing in Islamabad, Rasheed went on to reveal that the names of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, have been on the Exit Control List (ECL), since August of 2018. He explained that those whose names are on this list are not issued passports for the country, nor are their renewal applications accepted. 

The Interior Minister noted, however, that the verdict by the high court stated that Nawaz should return to Pakistan. He commented on the departure of the former Prime Minister and said that if he could leave the country for the sake of politics alone, then he is capable of doing anything to get votes. 

The veteran politician further called out the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for deceiving the authorities and leaving the country. According to Rasheed, Nawaz had been granted a one-time exemption by the court for medical purposes, which he misused. 

The Interior Minister observed that the former Prime Minister’s passport will expire at midnight on Tuesday. He said that if Nawaz ever wanted to visit Pakistan again in the future, he will be issued a special certificate by requesting one. However, he pointed out that the passport will lose all of its constitutional standing if the supremo continues to evade the authorities of Pakistan. 

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Foreign Minister, on Saturday said that the authorities are currently engaged in talks with the British government to ensure the return of Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan. 

The fact that the PML-N leader’s passport will expire soon has caused a lot of speculation. People are still wondering if Nawaz will decide to extend his stay in the United Kingdom, given the limited number of options available to him at the moment. He has been residing overseas since November of 2019.