‘Sharif receives non-bailable arrest warrants at UK residence’

Islamabad, Sep. 22 (IANS): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has received non-bailable warrants for his arrest at his residence in the UK, sources in the Foreign Office (FO) here said.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing Sharif’s criminal appeal against his conviction in the Al-Azizia corruption case on September 15, had ordered that since he is not present which he ought to be under the terms of the suspension of the sentence and bail granted to him, “non-bailable warrants of the appellant are issued”.

The FO sources told The Express Tribune on Monday that the non-bailable arrest warrants were delivered by the IHC registrar through a special messenger to the Foreign Office secretary on September 17.

Later, the same was received by the Pakistan High Commission in the UK.

It was also reported that the Pakistani mission in London has written to the UK Foreign Office to initiate process for the service of arrest warrants to Sharif through the concerned court.

Sharif has been in the UK since November 2019, after getting bail from the court on medical grounds and securing permission from the incumbent 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.