Govt allows Nawaz Sharif to visit UK
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—In a “humanitarian” gesture, President Pervez Musharraf Wednesday gave permission for issuing passport to exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to travel to London with his ailing son.
“Musharraf has allowed them (Sharifs) to proceed to London purely on humanitarian grounds as Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz is sick”, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told reporters here, adding “the gesture by President Musharraf shows that he doesn’t take politics personally”. The Saudi Arabian government has been informed about the decision, he said.
Sharif lives in Jeddah under the patronage of the Saudi royal family.
He will be issued the passport whenever he visits the Pakistan Embassy in the Saudi Kingdom, the Minister added. Sharif’s old passport had expired and Pakistan had earlier refused to issue a replacement.
When asked whether permission has also been given to rest of the family members, Sheikh Rashid said it was his personal opinion that they too should be allowed to accompany Hussain Nawaz.
“I am saying this in personal capacity and not as a government spokesman. Though I have yet to check all the details,” he said.
Sheikh Rashid said the two have been given permission to travel to UK only.
The Information Minister said the Pakistan Government in the past had also issued passport to Sharif’s brother Shabaz Sharif to go to the US to undergo treatment for heart ailment.
Online adds: Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Siddiq ul Farooq said that so far no official notification has been received regarding issuing of passport to Party leader Nawaz Sharif. He told this after contacting Nawaz Sharif in Madina. Siddiq ul Farooq said that the party is till waiting for implementation of the decision by the government for issuing passport to former exiled PM Nawaz Sharif so that he could visit UK for the treatment of his ailing son Hassan Nawaz