IHC rejects plea against issuance of diplomatic passport to Nawaz Sharif

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a plea against issuance of a diplomatic passport to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif by the incumbent government.

According to ARY News, the IHC reserved its verdict on the petition earlier in the day 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 rejected the plea and 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 Shehbaz Sharif had directed the interior ministry to issue a diplomatic passport to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

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.