LAHORE, July 9: Pakistan’s consulate in Jeddah will inform the exiled Sharif family on Sunday the decision about issuance of passports to them. Mian Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Capt Safdar visited the consulate on Saturday, as he was advised a couple of days ago.

Consul-General Masood Khan reportedly told him that a Nadra team was holding a meeting with him on the subject.

Highly-placed sources told Dawn here on Saturday that the matter of issuing passport to Mr Sharif and his wife was still being processed and so far no decision had been communicated to the embassy in Riyadh or the consulate in Jeddah.

The sources said it was still not clear whether Mr Sharif would be issued an ordinary or a diplomatic passport.

In case the government decided to issue him a diplomatic passport, it would be issued from Islamabad and not by the Pakistan consulate in Jeddah. However, an ordinary passport can be issued by the consulate.

Answering a question, the sources said production of a computerized ID card was necessary for anyone wanting to get a passport, and Mr Sharif had been conveyed the same.

Replying to another question the sources said the Saudi government’s permission was mandatory for anyone residing in the kingdom before going to any other country.

Amir Wasim adds from Islamabad: The government has not yet given any definite reply to Mr Nawaz Sharif on his request for renewal of his passport and no government official or minister is ready to make any categorical statement on the issue, PML(N) information secretary told Dawn here on Saturday.

Talking to Dawn, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said: “Nawaz Sharif’s case is a dead issue.” He said: “Nawaz Sharif would have to stay in Saudi Arabia for 10 years.”