Nawaz’s cardiac procedures postponed twice due to Maryam's absence: Shehbaz

PML-N president urges govt to allow Maryam to visit her ailing father on humanitarian grounds

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday that the federal government should allow Maryam Nawaz to be there for her ailing father Nawaz Sharif in London on humanitarian grounds.

Regretting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s decision to deny Maryam permission to travel abroad, Shehbaz claimed that Nawaz’s doctors twice postponed pre-decided cardiac procedures due to Maryam’s absence.

The leader of the opposition in the National Assembly revealed that the three-time prime minister’s health was unstable and deteriorating and the margin for medical procedures reduced as time progressed.

Reflecting on his brother’s health, Shehbaz said Nawaz could not recover from the loss of his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz two years ago. He added that Maryam had become a source of comfort for her father during the grieving period.

The former prime minister, who has been diagnosed with a complicated coronary artery disease and is under treatment in London. The Sharifs left Pakistan on November 20, 2019 - four days after the LHC directed the federal government to remove Nawaz's name from the ECL for four weeks.

Prior to that, Nawaz, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence in the Al Azizia corruption reference, was granted eight-week bail on medical grounds by the Islamabad High Court on October 27.

The PML-N vice president was arrested in August 2019 by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with an investigation pertaining to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. Subsequently, she was granted post-arrest bail by a Lahore High Court bench against two surety bonds worth Rs20 million and deposit of an additional Rs70 million. She was also ordered to surrender her passport to secure release.

Maryam then moved the LHC seeking the return of her passport and one-time permission to fly to London for six weeks to see her ailing father. She stated that her father’s health was critical and she was under unexplainable stress because of her inability to be with him at a time when he needs extra care. She said her father is dependent on her.

The high court directed the federal government to decide on the matter.

In December 2019, the cabinet sub-committee, tasked to review Maryam’s plea, decided against allowing a convict to leave Pakistan. “There is no such provision in the law,” said Dr Babar Awan. “If anyone wants this condition included then the matter will have to be taken up in parliament.”

In January 2020, the federal cabinet placed Maryam’s name on the ECL for the second time in the same case.