Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
According to a notification issued by the Punjab Home Department on Thursday, high-profile National Accountability Bureau (NAB) convicted prisoner Nawaz Sharif, in view of the recommendations of a special medical board of the Services Hospital and on the request of his personal physician, is granted permission to be shifted to Jinnah Hospital for treatment, for a minimum required period.
A private ward where Nawaz would be shifted has been declared a sub-jail till his stay.
Notifications have also been sent to Punjab IGP and Lahore CCPO to make necessary security arrangements for the transportation and stay of Nawaz at Jinnah Hospital.
Furthermore, the home department has also directed the Lahore DIG prisons to personally supervise the shifting process.
According to the jail authorities, they received the notification after sunset, a time after which they cannot move anyone out of the prison, so Nawaz would be shifted to Jinnah Hospital any time on Friday on instructions of the government.
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Jinnah Hospital has readied a VVIP room for Nawaz. This would be Nawaz’s third trip to the hospital since his arrest in the Al-Azizia reference.
It is pertinent to mention that Nawaz was recently shifted to the Services Hospital on February 2 on the recommendation of the special medial board, which recommended his shifting to a multidisciplinary health facility for multiple checkups.
However, just after three days Nawaz refused to get any further check-up done and insisted on being shifted back to jail. Subsequently on February 7, after staying at the Services Hospital for five days, he was shifted back to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Just two days after Nawaz was shifted back to Kot Lakhpat Jail on his own demand, the former premier’s personal physician via a letter to the home department, requested the government to take into consideration the recommendations of the medical board, which had suggested shifting Nawaz to a hospital with cardiac facilities. Resultantly, in view of the request of Dr Adnan, the government once again decided to shift Nawaz to a medical facility.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders and members of the Sharif family met Nawaz at the Kot Lakhpat Jail on Thursday, where he was said to be in high spirits.
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Members from the Sharif family included Maryam Nawaz, Captain (retd) Safdar and her grandmother Begum Shamim, while senior leaders were Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Perveiz Rashid, Mushahidullah Khan, Ameer Muqam and Talal Chaudhry.
Senator Mushahid said they were spending their Valentine’s Day with their “dear leader”.
“Nawaz, despite his illness, is in high spirits,” he said. “Nawaz is more worried about the people of the country.”
He said soon the people who sent him to jail would be ashamed of usurping the rights of the people of the country and for stopping country from progressing.
Talal Chaudhry criticised the government for failing to sell its ‘thief and dacoit’ slogan, saying now it was trying to sell an NRO-like deal. “The government is using NRO to blackmail Nawaz not to take any medical care,” said Talal. “This selected PM does not have any power to give any NRO to anyone.”
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