IHC rejects plea against issuing diplomatic passport to Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a plea against issuing a diplomatic passport to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif by the incumbent government, ARY NEWS reported.

Earlier in the day, the IHC reserved its verdict on the petition and said that it could not decide on the matters without having any evidence of it. The court said that the petitioner could not provide any notification to prove his point.

The court while rejecting the plea also imposed a fine of Rs5,000 against the petitioner. “It is mandatory for an absconding convict to surrender himself to jail authorities,” the court said in its verdict.

On April 15, a petition was filed in the IHC by Naeem Haider who asked the court to ensure arrest of Nawaz Sharif upon his return to Pakistan. “Nawaz Sharif is an absconding convict and therefore authorities should be barred from issuing diplomatic passport to him,” it said.

The petitioner while making Nawaz Sharif, secretary interior and foreign affairs’ secretary as respondents in the case asked the Islamabad High Court to take up the matter today and issue arrest warrants for the PML-N supremo.

The registrar IHC admitted the petition and formed a bench for the hearing to be headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah.

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif had directed the interior ministry to issue a diplomatic passport to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Shehbaz Sharif after assuming charge of his office got a briefing from the diplomatic staff about the issuance of a passport to the PML-N supremo. Pakistan’s mission in London was directed to issue diplomatic passports to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

However, the diplomatic staff said only Nawaz Sharif can be issued a diplomatic passport, not Ishaq Dar, on which PM Shehbaz Sharif directed to issue a normal Pakistani passport to Dar.