Medical report suggests urgent tests for Shehbaz

PML-N slams NAB for withholding report for more than two weeks

LAHORE: The former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has slammed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for delaying the medical report of its president and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

The medical report keeping in view Shehbaz’s health condition had recommended further tests at the earliest on December 4. The tests recommended by the report include DOTA-Octreotide scan, Upper and Lower GI endoscopies with biopsies (if required), repeat Chromogranin A and B levels for comparison, serum catecholamine/meanphrine levels, 24 hours urinary VMA and Catecholamnine levels and MR scan for spine.

The panel according has also recommended performing tests at the earliest on December 4, however Shehbaz was only provided the document after submitting a written request to the authorities. To retrieve the report the PML-N president in a letter written to Director General NAB demanded his medical examination report so he could decide regarding his treatment.

Shehbaz in said the letter dated December 17, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, stated a medical board was constituted on December 4, to examine him after his repeated requests and a blood test known as Chromogranin A was found unusually high.

The reports, it states in the letter, and recommendations of the medical board have not been shared with him making it difficult to decide his future course of treatment. The letter requested DG NAB to provide him the report forthwith to allow him to get medical treatment as advised.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Mian Javed Latif said the current behavior of NAB shows the level of political victimisation on Shehbaz.

“This is not only ethically wrong but also legally unjustifiable,” said Latif alleging that by withholding such information, the anti-graft watchdog only wants to torture Shehbaz. “They want to make him a lesson for all those who dare to rebel against tyranny”.

He further lamented if this was the reward for developing Punjab by working day and night adding delay in health report will only further complicate the former Punjab CM’s health.