LHC directs govt to file response on Nawaz’s medical reports

AAG submits former PM is roaming around in London and eating burgers in restaurants

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the federal government to avail an “appropriate remedy” after examining the medical reports of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

A division bench, headed by Justice Tariq Abbasi, presided over the hearing of a petition filed by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif challenging the inclusion of Nawaz’s name in the ECL and the condition of the indemnity bond imposed by the federal government for removing the same.

“You should have filed a civil miscellaneous application for the return of Nawaz Sharif,” Justice Tariq Abbasi told the petitioner’s counsels.



To this, they implored the bench that medical reports had been submitted and “they indicate that Nawaz is not fit to return to Pakistan as he is still unwell”.

Additional Attorney General (AAG) Ishtiaq A Khan submitted that the court had, on November 16, allowed Nawaz to travel abroad for a period of four weeks whereas the period had already expired.

The AAG submitted that now he (Nawaz) was roaming around (in London) and eating burgers in restaurants.

Nawaz’s counsel raised objection on the remarks about his client by the law officer.

At this, Justice Chaudhry asked the law officer to refrain from giving political statements and to stick to the law.

Justice Mushtaq Ahmed – the member of the bench – asked the counsels whether Nawaz would return from London.

To this Justice Abbasi light-heartedly remarked that “some others are making an effort to go abroad”.



 

The bench asked the AAG to file a response over Nawaz’s medical reports and adjourned further hearing for an indefinite period of time.

On Saturday, the Punjab government had rejected the medical report of the former prime minister, citing that it was prepared by a private UK doctor instead of his general physician in London.

According to the information obtained by The Express Tribune, the medical report sent by the private doctor lacked details about Nawaz’s treatment for fluctuating blood platelet count.

Nawaz, who is serving a seven-year jail term, was granted bail and later allowed to go abroad particularly for the treatment of the ailment.

In November, the former PM’s personal physician Dr Adnan Khan had set alarm bells ringing, saying that Nawaz’s condition was serious as his platelets had dropped to a critically low level.

Sources claimed that Nawaz had sent medical reports prepared by a doctor who had not even conducted his check-up in London.

According to rules in the UK, the medical summary includes data of a patient’s complete check-up issued by the same doctor who the patient has been seeing on a regular basis as well as the medical history of the patient.