Pakistan High Commission in London receives warrants for Sharif

Islamabad: The Pakistan High Commission in London has received arrest warrants sent by the Imran Khan-led government for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, it was reported on Friday.

The Mission was yet to make an official comment on the development but sources confirmed that it had received the paperwork regarding the arrest warrants, Dawn news reported. The sources further said that all legal formalities and procedures would be followed in this regard.

Meanwhile, the assistant registrar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the Foreign Secretary to ensure that the former leader appears before it on September 22. In 2017, the High Commission had received bailable arrest warrants for Hasan, Hussain, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Mohammad Safdar in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases.

The IHC earlier this week had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the former Prime Minister, while dismissing his application seeking exemption from personal appearance in the hearing of appeals against his conviction in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield properties corruption cases.

Sharif has been in the UK since November 2019, after getting bail from the court on medical grounds and securing permission from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government. Earlier this month, he was declared a proclaimed offender over his continuous absence from proceedings and an Accountability Court issued a perpetual warrant for his arrest over his continued no-show.