Islamabad, Mar 31: Pakistani government has allowed the wife and two daughters of Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of deposed premier Nawaz Sharif, to visit the country on humanitarian grounds. Sharif's family had sought permission from the Pakistani government for Shahbaz's wife Nusrat and daughters Rabia and Javeria to visit Pakistan for the marriage of the two girls in Lahore.

However, the Sharif family was asked by government to get their request forwarded by the Saudi Arabia government, as the latter was holding their passports, local newspaper 'Daily Times' quoted officials as saying. The Sharif family followed the advice and managed to get their request forwarded by the SaudiArabia government and Shahbaz's family was expected to visit Pakistan in the first week of April.

Shahbaz, who was made the president of Pakistan Muslim League (N) by Nawaz Sharif before the general elections last year, was also recently permitted by Pakistani and Saudi governments to go to us for a surgery. Nawaz Sharif and Sahabaz along with their family members were exiled to Jeddah after the 1999 military coup.

Bureau Report