Former PM Nawaz Sharif fighting for life: doctor

Sharif has low platelet count which is being further complicated by 'deteriorating kidney functions'

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is "critically unwell", his doctor said on Tuesday, days after the three-time leader now serving a prison sentence for corruption suffered a minor heart attack.

Sharif is currently receiving medical treatment at Services Hospital in hospital in Lahore. The Islamabad High Court earlier in the day approved his bail on medical grounds for eight weeks in the Al Azizia case.

His name remains on a stop list, meaning that he must remain in the country for the time being.

"Former PM #NawazSharif, critically unwell, is fighting the battle for his health & life," his personal physician, Adnan Khan, tweeted on Tuesday.

Former PM #NawazSharif, critically unwell, is fighting the battle for his health & life.
Thrombocytopenia (Low Platelet Count) & NSTEMI (Heart Attack) is further complicated by deteriorating Kidney functions. Poor Blood Sugar & Blood Pressure control is taking its toll.
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— DR. ADNAN KHAN (@Dr_Khan) October 29, 2019

In addition to the minor heart attack, Sharif has a low platelet count, both of which are being further complicated by "deteriorating kidney functions" Khan added.



He said poor blood sugar and blood pressure control was taking its toll, adding that "establishing a definitive diagnosis and subsequent management poses considerable risk to #NawazSharif's fragile and unstable health".

Pending Scans/Biopsies, diagnostic dilemma still ensues from multiple complex pathologies & co-morbidities.
In a paradoxical catch 22 situation; establishing a definitive diagnosis & subsequent management poses considerable risk to #NawazSharif’s fragile & unstable health.
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— DR. ADNAN KHAN (@Dr_Khan) October 29, 2019

The 69-year-old former premier, known as the "Lion of Punjab", was first taken to hospital last week when his blood platelet count dropped to dangerous levels.

Sharif, Pakistan's longest serving prime minister, is a political survivor who has repeatedly roared back to the country's top office, underscoring the unpredictable nature of Pakistani politics.

A hugely wealthy steel tycoon from Punjab, Pakistan's wealthiest province, he was considered strong on the economy and infrastructure, but inherited sagging finances and a stifling energy crisis when he was elected for the third time in 2013.

In 2017, Supreme Court disqualified him from politics for life over graft allegations, which he denies. He later received a seven-year jail sentence.

His brother Shehbaz Sharif, formerly the chief minister of Punjab, took over the leadership of the family's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party -- but failed to make a dent against World Cup-winning cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan in last year's general election.

Khan has since launched a high-profile and controversial anti-corruption drive targeting several PML-N leaders.