ISLAMABAD – Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Tuesday that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s passport is going to expire tonight, adding that the government will provide him emergency travel documents if he wants to return to Pakistan.
Addressing a press conference, the minister highlighted that Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz are placed on Exit Control List (ECL) since 2018, adding that a person with no-fly ban could not apply for renewal of passport under the law.
He added that the government will not bar him from coming back to Pakistan if he desires.
Nawaz Sharif, who was serving his seven-year prison term after conviction in a corruption case in December 2018, was allowed in October 2019 to travel abroad for treatment after the government reviewed his medical reports.
In December 2020, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender after he did not turn up before the court in petitions filed by him against his conviction.
PTI to Win Senate Elections
The interior minister hoped that the ruling PTI will emerge victorious in the upcoming Senate polls set to be held on March 3.
He added that the election will bring political stability in the country besides curbing rumours related to Senate polls.
100,000 CNIC Per Day
Sheikh Rashid said that the network of NADRA offices will be expanded at the Tehsil headquarters level to facilitate people. He announced that the NADRA will issue 100,000 CNICs per day.
He highlighted that the fee of passports with ten years validity has been decreased. He urged the people to apply to ten years passport in order to reduce burden on passport offices.
