According to sources, permission from the federal government was given on a humanitarian basis after it emerged that his sister and her husband are critically-ill after suffering from COVID-19.

According to a notification, the former prime minister was given one-time permission to travel abroad after a summary moved in the federal cabinet allowed removing his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

It is pertinent to mention here the name of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was included in the no-fly list on the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In a similar order in November last year, in pursuance of the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Nov 16 verdict on ex-premier Nawaz Sharif’s travel abroad, the Ministry of Interior issued a memorandum giving him one-time permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

“In continuation of the Ministry’s memorandum of even number dated 13.11.2019. It has been decided by way of an interim arrangement to allow One Time Permission to Muhammad Nawaz Sharif s/o Mian Muhammad Sharif…..to travel abroad for his medical treatment for a period of 04 (four) weeks during his bail period,” read the memo.

However, since then the former premier has not returned back from London and has been declared an absconder by the Islamabad court. NNI