PA speaker constitutes committee on former premier’s health

Hina Pervez Butt demanded of the federal and the provincial governments to resolve the issues of working women

LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi constituted a committee to provide best medical facilities to the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) lawmakers voiced their concerns on the second consecutive day.

In the assembly proceedings, the PML-N legislators came hard on the provincial government’s conduct and recalled the bad politics of some politicians on the illness of late Kulsoom Nawaz in same manners. However, Speaker Elahi restrained the treasury benches from point scoring on former premier’s health.

As the house proceedings commenced with a delay of two hours, PML-N’s former speaker Rana Iqbal Khan, on a point of order, said illness and health were from Allah but it was regrettable if his leader Nawaz Sharif was being made the subject of political victimisation. “I am at a loss to understand as to why my leader is not being referred to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) as he is a heart patient. If the government does not mend its way, it will have to face the consequences,” the former speaker warned.

Lamenting the government’s conduct, another PML-N legislator Dr Mazhar Iqbal said around four medical boards had been constituted for Nawaz and now the illness of the former premier was being politicised in a similar way when some politicians played politics on the illness of late Kulsoom Nawaz. He drew the attention of the house asking the government should know the reasons under which Nawaz Sharif was being denied a visit to the hospital.

It irked Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat who said “the issue of Mian Nawaz Sharif’s health could not be resolved on stairs of the assembly”. He said the government wanted to sit with the opposition lawmakers but the opposition was portraying the issue with an impression that perhaps the government was not willing to provide proper medical facilities to Nawaz Sharif.

He said there were around 40,000 prisoners in Punjab jails but Nawaz Sharif was being given the best facilities as compared to the others. “The opposition will have to sit with us if PML-N wants to resolve this issue. We are ready to shift Nawaz to the PIC if he agrees,” said Basharat.

Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid said Nawaz Sharif was suffering from a few diseases as she has been examining the reports on a daily basis. She revealed that Nawaz Sharif refused to go through a test of angiography. The Punjab government has no objection if Nawaz Sharif wants the treatment from his family physician.

As some legislators started speaking on Sharif’s health, the speaker restrained them from playing politics on the issue. He also directed Law Minister Raja Basharat to sit with the opposition on the aforementioned issue and also constituted a committee under the supervision of Basharat while Dr Rashid and three MPAs of the opposition would be its members.

After the completion of assembly’s agenda items, Speaker Elahi adjourned the house for Monday 9:00 am.

Later, PML-N’s MPA Hina Pervez Butt submitted her resolution in assembly secretariat demanding implementation on Women Rights Act in letter and spirit. Paying tribute to the working women on International Women’s Day, she said the Women Rights Act was PML-N’s great step, adding the women were also given a share in inheritance through passing a bill in the assembly. She said PML-N made a record number of legislations for women’s rights and made lots of efforts to provide them with equal opportunities. She also demanded of the federal and the provincial governments to come forward and take appropriate measures to resolve the issues of working women.