UK asked to cancel Sharif’s visa: Shahzad

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar has said Pakistan has written to British authorities to cancel former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visa and that talks were ongoing regarding his deportation.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad flanked by Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Political Communication Shahbaz Gill on Wednesday, Akbar said Pakistan had written to the UK asking it to cancel Sharif’s visa, which was issued for medical treatment after signing an undertaking. “The six month visa has not yet been extended by UK,” he said.

“Negotiations are continuing with UK for the deportation of Nawaz Sharif,” he said, adding that the last two governments did not make efforts to repatriate the Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder as well.

Regarding former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Akbar said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz senior member “stood totally exposed” in the recent BBC interview. “The interview made it clear as to why Dar is an absconder and not appearing before the courts,” he said.

Castigating Dar further, Akbar alleged Dar had wrongly said that he has only one property in Lahore, whereas the former finance minister has properties/bank accounts in Pakistan as well as in Dubai. “The British authorities have also been requested for the extradition of Ishaq Dar,” he added.

Akbar also questioned why Dar had “brazenly levelled baseless allegations” of custodial killings over the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in such an important forum like the BBC. He added: “It is incomprehensible that on whose orders Dar agreed to interview BBC. It was a desperate effort to negate accusations levelled against him.” Speaking on the occasion, Gill said: “Ishaq Dar was trembling in the interview.”