Interpol contacted for red warrants of Hassan, Hussain Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan officially approached the International Police (Interpol) on Thursday for issuance of red warrants against Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, the London-based sons or convicted premier Nawaz Sharif.

“We have dispatched an official request seeking the arrest of ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s sons — Hassan and Hussain through Interpol today [Thursday]. Interpol Lyon, France Headquarter, also acknowledged its receipt around 10pm,” a senior official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) confirmed to this correspondent.

Both Hassan and Hussain are accused in a corruption ruling that sentenced their father, Nawaz Sharif, sister Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar to 11 years, 7 years and one year, respectively in prison.

“Red warrants request was sent through I-24/7 online system of FIA, which has direct communication with the International Criminal Police Organisation,” added the official. Both brothers were declared as proclaimed offenders in a case stemming from the Panama Papers investigation that disclosed expensive and undeclared property, owned by the Sharif family in London.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested the interior ministry to seek Interpol help to get issued red warrants against Hassan and Hussain. In the light of Avenfield reference verdict by the accountability court in Islamabad, the country’s anti-graft body approached the interior ministry which later asked the FIA to request for Interpol’s help in extraditing Hassan and Hussain. Earlier, Interpol had also been requested to issue red warrants for arrest of ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar, who is in London nowadays.