Nawaz’ immigration status protected by law: UK Home Office

LONDON: The UK Home Office has commented that it will not release any kind of information on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s current immigration status as it will be a breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.

This is for the first time that the Home Office has commented on the issue of Nawaz Sharif’s immigration status in the United Kingdom. Until now, only the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had issued statements that no action will be taken against Nawaz Sharif on the basis of FIRs registered against him in Pakistan or the calls by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government ministers to deport Nawaz Sharif.

The UK Visa and Immigration Services section at the Home Office told Nickie Aiken MP, the Conservative member of parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster, that it will not reveal any information about Nawaz Sharif “to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with our obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation as tailored by the Data Protection Act 2018”.

Nickie Aiken was approached by Pakistani national Khalid Lodhi about Nawaz Sharif, who lives in the Westminster area covered by the MP’s constituency, after the FCDO replied to his letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson that no action will be taken against Nawaz Sharif in relation to the political matters ongoing in Pakistan.

The Home Office told Nickie Ailen: “We are limited in what information we can provide when a request for personal data is made by someone who is not the applicant. We are therefore unable to provide you with information about Sharif” because Lodhi was “a third party”.

Last month, the UK government said there is no extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK and the UK government does not “shelter” or “harbour” anyone.

Prior to that, the FCDO stated that the British government cannot take action against Nawaz Sharif on the basis of the non-bailable arrest warrants served by the Pakistan High Commission in London. The FCO’s Pakistan section had said: “We are aware that 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 on all sides. 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 letter added: “Pakistan and Britain do not have an extradition treaty. However, extraditions are still possible and have taken place. If any extradition request were to be submitted through the proper channels, it would be considered in line with the UK laws.” The letter said Nawaz Sharif came to London for his medical treatment and has now stayed in the UK for more than a year and the UK government should send him back to Pakistan also because he makes speeches from London.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared Nawaz Sharif a proclaimed offender in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references. After Stephen Timms wrote to 10 Downing Street, over a dozen Pakistanis from his own constituency had signed a petition protesting that the MP should not get involved in Pakistani politics and that Nawaz Sharif had genuine reasons to stay in London.