Sanaullah not being given food, medicines: Shehbaz

PML-N president accuses govt of criminal negligence

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday maintained that detained party man Rana Sanaullah was not even being provided with food, water and medicines in jail.

“The treatment being meted out to him [Sanaullah] in prison amounts to criminal negligence,” Shehbaz told reporters after meeting the Sanaullah’s family along with other party leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Attaullah Tarar.

“There is no fan or power supply. Food and water are not being provided to him [Sanaullah]. He also needs medicines for his eye, which are not being given to him,” he added.

“If anything happens to him [Sanaullah], the government will be responsible for it.”

Reiterating Sanaullah’s innocence, Shehbaz said Prime Minister Imran Khan was solely focused on targeting the PML-N and everyone could see his fascist tactics.

“They could not find any corruption cases against Sanaullah, so they made up a heroin case against him,” he added.

The PML-N president said the whole party stood by Sanaullah and his family.

“His family waited outside the jail for hours but was not allowed to send food, water and medicines to him,” he lamented.

“Rana Sanaullah has undergone heart surgery. His family has told me that his right eye has been affected and he’s taking medicines for that. Besides, he is also suffering from back pain but he never told me about it.”

Shehbaz said a prisoner is provided with basic amenities even in the worst of cases. “Such treatment being meted out to a member of the National Assembly and a politician is condemnable.”

Sanaullah is currently in Camp Jail on a 14-day judicial remand for possessing 15 kilogrammes of heroin recovered from his car by the Anti-Narcotics Force.

Hitting out at the government for its policies, the PML-N president said the people were suffering because of the increasing prices of essential commodities.

“The government has piled on the misery for the poor, widows and orphans. Even pensioners have been subjected to taxes. Tax exemption for the salaried individuals earning over Rs100,000 has been lifted. There are no more grants and free medicines for the poor,” he remarked.

Shehbaz said the Rehbar committee of the opposition parties would chalk out a future course of action.

“We will take to the streets and be the voice of the people who are suffering because the current government’s anti-poor policies.”

The PML-N president further said the ruling party was creating a venomous atmosphere in the society by repeatedly accusing opposition leaders of being plunderers and liars.