UK to consider Nawaz’s extradition request if filed by Pakistan

• UK has asked Pakistan to file an official extradition request for Nawaz Sharif
• The UK will not deport the PML-N supremo in accordance with international laws
• SAPM accountability and interior Shahzad Akbar had written a letter to UK home secretary in October, requesting to deport Nawaz

LONDON: The United Kingdom has said that it is ready to send former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back if Pakistan files a formal extradition request for the purpose.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel has written a letter to prime minister's advisor on accountability and interior Shahzad Akbar in which she has pointed out that the UK government is subject to international law in the case of former PM Nawaz Sharif who is currently residing in London. Accordingly, he will likely not be deported as requested by the PTI-led government. 

Read more: Pakistan seeks Nawaz Sharif’s deportation from London exploring new grounds

According to a reliable source, Home Secretary Priti Patel confirmed that the British government would give Pakistan’s extradition request its full attention under the provisions of the UK law if a formal request is received.

At the same time, the Home Secretary has stressed that the UK is subject to international law and cannot go against the established legal principles.

The source said that Pakistan has asked for the deportation of Nawaz Sharif in a letter sent via British High Commission but a formal extradition request has not been filed. 

On Tuesday, a credible source in London confirmed that the British Home Secretary had replied to Shahzad Akbar’s letter written in October this year in which the SAPM had told Home Secretary Priti Patel that she was “duty-bound” to deport Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

Read more: Nawaz Sharif's deportation from London imminent: Shahzad Akbar

'Pakistan would look for best options to bring Nawaz back'

A top Pakistan government functionary, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the UK Home Secretary’s letter has been received. He said the home secretary, through her letter, has assured the Pakistani government that “full weightage” will be given to Pakistan’s extradition request once it is filed. 

The source said Pakistan would see what are the "best available options" to get Nawaz Sharif extradited.

The UK Home Office source said that normally an extradition request is officially confirmed when the target is arrested and put in detention.

Speaking to Hamid Mir on Geo News, Shahzad Akbar had said that Pakistan had asked for the deportation of Nawaz Sharif, citing Britain’s immigration laws of 1974 under which any person sentenced to imprisonment of more than four years had to be deported to the country of their origin.

When contacted, Shahzad Akbar was not available to comment.

Nawaz Sharif had arrived in London in November 2019 on medical grounds upon receiving permission from PM Imran Khan’s cabinet. The Islamabad High Court has declared him an absconder for not appearing before the court.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has tasked relevant authorities with bringing back the PML-N supremo at any cost. Nawaz Sharif has said that  "confessions" by the late accountability judge Arshad Malik, that he was "blackmailed" to convict the former premier, have "validated" his claim that he was "hounded out of power unfairly".

Tensions between Pakistan, UK

The development comes after relations between Pakistan and the United Kingdom became tense as Pakistan refused to accept a chartered flight from London to Islamabad carrying around three dozen illegal immigrants.

The transportation of immigrants cost the UK government over £300,000. Upon Pakistan's refusal, immigrants were returned to detention centres. The flight from London to Islamabad was cancelled on October 20.

At that time, a government source had said that the flight from London to Islamabad was not given clearance because it had “not complied with the Pakistani government's coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) and that the UK government had not carried out COVID-19 tests on the deportees.

Read more: PTI govt to write UK for Nawaz Sharif’s deportation: Awan