LONDON: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has refused to receive his arrest warrants from the Pakistan High Commission in London, sources said. An official of the high commission went to serve the arrest warrants sent by the government on Sharif at his London residence but no one received them, the sources added. Later, the high commission sent him copies of the warrants through email, they said.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had directed the foreign secretary to ensure production of ex-PM before the court on September 22. He was told to "cause the production of appellant (Sharif) through High Commission of Pakistan in United Kingdom" on Sept 22.

Last week, the IHC Registrar Office had started implementing the orders and issued a notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking steps to arrest former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The high court issued the arrest warrants of Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases and also sent its copy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assisting the relevant authorities in arresting the former premier who is currently residing in London.