Interior ministry gives Nawaz travel permission

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry has decided, as an interim arrangement, to allow one-time permission to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for travelling abroad for medical treatment up to a period of four weeks during his bail period.

The ministry, in a memorandum on Monday, stated that the permission was granted in compliance with the Lahore High Court (LHC) order. The court had recorded undertakings of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif.

In its memorandum, the ministry quoted the operative part of the LHC order and granted one-time permission to Sharif to travel abroad as interim arrangement for four weeks, adding: “He will return when certified by doctors that he has regained his health and is fit to return back to Pakistan”. Meanwhile, a Chinese diplomat welcomed the LHC’s decision to allow former prime minister Sharif to travel abroad for treatment. In a tweet, Chinese embassy’s former deputy chief of mission, Lijian Zhao, said: “This decision by the Lahore High Court is a decision in need. Thus, a good decision indeed.”