PAK MAY NOT RENEW MUSHARRAF PASSPORT
‘Former president is proclaimed offender and absconder in several cases’
ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf may have to face a dificult situation after March because by then his diplomatic passport expire and the government seems to be in no mood to renew it anytime soon.
Musharraf has been declared a proclaimed offender and absconder by various courts in at least four highproile cases, including the treason case, the Benazir Bhutto murder case, Lal Masjid operation case and the matter of judges’ detention.
The last diplomatic passport (number AJ0848364) issued to Musharraf from a Gulf country in 2013 would expire on March 16, 2018, said a report.
Most countries allow entry only to those who hold passports valid for more than six months from the date of entry, even if they have a valid visa.
Musharraf, who mostly resides abroad, was allowed to travel to the United Kingdom last week on the condition he produced a return ticket, after the Pakistan consulate in the Gulf country told him that it was not possible that his passport would be renewed before his trip to the UK, and that processing his request would require prior approval from Islamabad.
If the government does not renew his passport, the former president may face dificulties when he returns to the Gulf country from the UK on Nov.29. If the renewal takes any longer, he may not be able to undertake any foreign travel, even if he does have a valid visa for his destination.
Dr Mohammad Amjad, the secretary general of Musharraf’s All-pakistan Muslim League (APML) said that his party chief faced dificulties in embarking on his visit to the UK because of the below six-month validity of his passport.
He said the Pakistan consulate not only refused to entertain the application for the renewal of Musharraf’s passport, but also declined to afix a validity stamp on it.
The Pakistan consulate in the Gulf nation has sent a communiqué to the foreign ministry, seeking approval for the renewal of Musharraf’s passport. The ministry has sought the opinion of the Ministry of Interior on the matter.
“It is the domain of the interior ministry,” Foreign Ofice spokesperson Mohammad Faisal said and conirmed that the foreign ministry had received a reference from the consulate and had sought the opinion of the interior ministry.