'Feel embarrassed': PM says letting Nawaz Sharif leave was a mistake

Prime Minister Imran Khan has regretted allowing Nawaz Sharif to leave for London for his medical treatment.

Nawaz left for London in November 2019. In an interview to a private news channel on Thursday night, the PM said that he had only allowed Nawaz to leave because of the medical reports presented to the government.

He continued that for six hours the federal cabinet debated whether the government should let Nawaz leave on humanitarian grounds. They later allowed Nawaz to leave, the PM said, adding that even PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif submitted indemnity bonds worth Rs7 billion, promising Nawaz would return to the country.

Nawaz Sharif departs for London via air ambulance

Now there are two Sharifs, one [Shehbaz] here in Pakistan, the other ]Nawaz] in London, the premier said. "Now we feel embarrassed. Now Nawaz has started doing politics from there as well and, when you see him, it seems like there is nothing wrong with him," PM said.

The government did not give him an NRO, but tried their best to do what they could regarding the matter, the PM said. He added that the government allowed Nawaz to leave because they were pressurized and told that if they did not do anything, Nawaz could die, or he might not even reach London.