Pakistan government removes Shehbaz Sharif's name from no-fly list

The 67-year-old leader's name was placed on the travel blacklist on February 22 for allegedly possessing assets beyond his declared sources of income.

ImaPakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif (Photo | PTI)

Islamabad: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief Shehbaz Sharif's name was removed from the no-fly list Thursday, days after a court ordered the government to allow him to travel abroad. The 67-year-old leader's name was placed on the travel blacklist on February 22 for allegedly possessing assets beyond his declared sources of income. He had approached the Lahore High Court seeking declaration of the government's decision as null and void. A two-member Lahore High Court bench headed by Justice Malik Shahzad on March 26 ordered the government to remove Shehbaz's name from Exit Control List (ECL). The federal interior ministry authorised the move following the Lahore High Court's order, Express News reported. The ministry also issued a notification confirming that Shehbaz is now free to travel abroad, it said. Reports suggest Shehbaz would soon depart for London, where his granddaughter recently underwent a cardiac procedure necessitated by a complication at birth. Shehbaz is also expected to undergo medical check-ups during his stay in London. He has been indicted along with nine others in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing scam case. He was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in the probe on October 5, 2018 and released on bail on February 14. Shehbaz served as the chief minister of the politically crucial Punjab province from 2013 to 2018. He became PML-N president after his elder brother Nawaz Sharif was barred from holding the top party position and public posts.