Nawaz, family head to Europe ‘for holiday’

LONDON: Members of the Sharif family, including PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, travelled to Europe on Monday for a 10-day holiday.

Sources told Mr Sharif, Ms Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, Hasan Nawaz, Jun­aid Safdar and other family members would be travelling to various cities in Europe for a little over 10 days, going from one destination to the other via train or air. The purpose of the trip was purely leisure, the sources added.

Mr Sharif is said to be tra­velling on a diplomatic passport which was issued to him by the government last week. His passport had exp­ired last year, during the Pak­istan Tehreek-i-Insaf gov­­e­­r­nment, which had said it would cancel the passport.

It is learned that Mr Sharif at the time did not apply for a renewal as he was aware that the government would not grant a new passport.

In April this year, after PTI Chairman Imran Khan was removed from power after a vote of no confidence, Nawaz Sharif was given an ordinary passport.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) last week cleared Mr Sharif and gave the go ahead for him to rece­ive a diplomatic passport with a five-year validity.

Diplomatic passports are issued to dignitaries of the state, diplomats and other entitled categories in pursuance of Para-45 of Part-I of Passport & Visa Manual, 2006. Former prime ministers and their dependent children are also granted diplomatic passports. Approval of diplomatic passports is the responsibility of MoFA.

Separately, sources said Mr Sharif had withdrawn an appeal filed with an immigration tribunal, in which he had challenged a Home Office decision to deny an extension of his stay in the UK.

The Home Office decision came last August, but granted Mr Sharif an opportunity to appeal, which meant he was legally allowed to remain in the United Kingdom till he had exhausted all avenues of appeal.