Pakistan in contact with UK over Sharif’s extradition

Saiyan0321 · Dec 20, 2020

Pakistan in contact with UK over Sharif’s extradition

The former Prime Minister lives in self-imposed exile in London

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has admitted for the first time in a TV interview that bringing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif back from the UK was not easy since no extradition treaty existed between Pakistan and the United Kingdom (UK).
In a late night TV show “News Beat,” Khan remarked Nawaz’ travel to London was a “very sad story” as the former PM had travelled on medical grounds showing reports which suggested he was suffering from multiple diseases and his platelets were dangerously low.

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No sooner did Sharif step in Britain, than his health started improving and he didn’t have to get admitted at the hospital, said the prime minister. Sharif seemed in perfect health and it looked as if he had never fallen ill, further said Khan implying Sharif had left the country on fake medical reports.
The government, he said, was looking for various ways and means to bring Sharif back to Pakistan either through extradition or deportation.
Sharif had left for London on Nov 19, 2019, some 20 days after he was released on bail from a seven-year sentence for corruption.

The PML-N leader had been diagnosed with an immune system disorder and was accompanied by his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan.

Corruption cases

While replying to a question of the programme anchor person Paras Jahanzaib, Khan said he was not averse to talks with Opposition parties’ alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) however, he reiterated he would not give them any concession in corruption cases. Whenever we sat with them for talks, they ask for NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance, an understanding between the previous Musharraf government and the opposition parties with regard to ending corruption cases against them).
Because they know, I would not budge from this position they are “appealing to the Pakistan Army, asking it to remove a democratic government.”
Under such circumstances, Article 6 of the Constitution (sedition charge) applies. This is a case of treason, further said Khan.
About the PDM’s component parties’ threat that they would resign en masse, Khan said he was under no pressure from the opposition parties. “If they want to resign, they should do it right now. I am sure their resignations will yield positive results for the country”, said the prime minister

Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Accountability & Interior Barrister Shahzad Akbar has said that the Pakistan government had approached the United Kingdom (UK) authorities to deport the convicted former Prime Minister Sharif from their country.
Akbar said Pakistan has written a letter to the UK to cancel the visa of Sharif which was issued for medical treatment after taking an undertaking. The six month visa has not yet been extended by the UK.
“Negotiations were continuing with the UK for deportation of Nawaz,” he said, adding that the last two governments did not make an effort to deport former head of Muttahida Quomi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain from the UK.