London visit: Nawaz to undergo open heart surgery

Operation on Tuesday; week-long hospitalisation needed

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will undergo open heart surgery in London on Tuesday and is likely to remain hospitalised for a whole week after the procedure, his family announced on Friday.

“PM Nawaz Sharif [is] undergoing open heart surgery on Tuesday,” tweeted Maryam Nawaz on her personal handle of the micro-blogging website. Her father travelled to the British capital on May 22 for a medical checkup.

Maryam said the prime minister had had a cardiac procedure - ‘Atrial Fibrillation Ablation’ – in 2011, during which certain complications occurred resulting in heart perforation.

This complication, she wrote, is to be treated by an open heart surgery. “Prayers are the most effective and potent medicine. Millions will pray for him. Insha Allah he’ll be fine,” she wrote.

Maryam said the prime minister visited London for more medical tests and a follow-up.



“Due to certain recent symptoms, doctors carried out further investigations. A  team of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons after thorough examination, scans and tests, have decided to go for an open heart surgery.”

Maryam said her father will be on specific medication for the next three days before his surgery on Tuesday.

“He will travel Insha Allah back to Pakistan as soon as the doctors allow,” she said in a series of six tweets.

According to APP, the prime minister’s son Hassan Nawaz, who is in London, told a local news channel that the doctors had given blood thinning medicines tothe prime minister and he would stay at Intensive Care Unit for four days, before being moved to his room.

Hassan Nawaz said the prime minister would travel back home only after doctors permit him. “It will take at least two weeks before he could travel,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has appealed to the nation for the recovery of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a Twitter message.

So who will run the govt?

Experts say the Constitution does not offer any guidance on who exactly is authorised to manage state affairs in case the prime minister needs prolonged treatment. But, according to sources, either Finance Minister Ishaq Dar or Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar will look after government affairs in PM’s absence.

Experts say an acting prime minister cannot be appointed as the Constitution does not give any provision for that.  The federal cabinet will carry on the government affairs collectively as the Article 90 Section 2 of the Constitution says the PM is entitled to exercise his power directly or through a federal minister. The federal minister, appointed by him, can chair the federal cabinet’s meetings.

However, if the prime minister’s illness protracts then the federal budget for 1016-17 may get delayed.  A finance ministry official, who requested anonymity, said so far there is no written instruction to defer the date for presenting budget in the parliament; however, it is expected that the budget will get delayed and will be presented by the second week of June.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2016.