Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has recently asked relevant authorities to take steps to bring back PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif from London and to ensure that he faces the corruption cases pending against him in the courts, according to a media report on Wednesday.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Dawn News reported, quoting a Cabinet member whose identity was not revealed.
Mr Khan asked the authorities to pursue the matter vigorously, the paper said.
According to the Cabinet member, the government had earlier sent a request to the British government for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s repatriation. However, it would again send a fresh application now.
The member said: “Besides a normal application, a formal request for his extradition would also be made. Although we have no extradition treaty with the United Kingdom, wanted people can be repatriated under special arrangements as we had also handed over some people to the UK.”
On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) said that it needs to be determined if Sharif was evading court proceedings on purpose.
Nawaz Sharif’s exit from Pakistan is a mockery of the system, said a two-member IHC bench, comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Aamer Farooq.
The federal government told the court that the non-bailable arrest warrants issued for Nawaz Sharif earlier this month were not received at his residence in London.
Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Khokhar said that the arrest warrants were sent to Nawaz Sharif’s residence through Royal Mail Special Delivery but a person named Waqar Ahmed refused to receive the delivery.
Justice Kayani: “He (Sharif) must be sitting there laughing at Pakistan’s system. It’s a shame.”
The hearing of the case was adjourned till October 7.
