The government of United Kingdom (UK) has said that it can not take action against former PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif on the basis of the non-bailable arrest warrants shared with the British government by the Pakistan High Commission in London.
As per the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s Pakistan and Afghan Department said this in response to a letter sent to PM Boris Johnson by Labour MP Stephen Timms, on behalf of a Pakistani constituent.
The FCO’s Pakistan section said in a letter that “We are aware that Mr. Nawaz Sharif is in the UK, The UK law sets out clearly and publicly what the Government can and cannot do on immigration matters, we act strictly in accordance with the rules in all sides,”
The letter further reads that “Mr. Nawaz Sharif’s status under Pakistani laws is a matter for the Pakistan government and legal system. As such, the non-bailable arrest warrants which have been served by the Pakistan High Commission in London have no legal bearing on his current status in the UK. The UK police cannot arrest someone in the UK on the basis of non-UK court orders,”
The FCO clarified to the MP that both the countries do not currently have an extradition agreement but did acknowledge that such actions have been taken in the past, adding that “If any extradition request were to be submitted through the proper channels it would be considered in line with the British laws,”
According to a source at UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Office said that it received a letter from Mr. Stephen Timms MP and forwarded it to the FCO to address the issue.
The source further stated that the Prime Minister was unable to act in this matter and had no authority and the FCO was the right forum to deal with such matters.
Stephen Timms MP while responding to a question said that “I wrote to the Prime Minister about this, on behalf of a constituent, to ask what the Government’s approach was.”
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