Nawaz enters the Twitter world

After almost a year of shying away from the public eye, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif made a surprise entry into the world of Twitter in a bid to stay "connected" with Pakistanis.

Nawaz, in his first post, wrote,"Vote ko izzat do [Sanctity of vote] with an emoji of a Pakistan flag.

#TwitterWelcomesNawaz Sharif soon became the top trend on Pakistani Twitter as the premier gained over 20,000 followers within an hour of joining the micro-blogging site.

His daughter and fellow party leader Maryam Nawaz made the announcement and shared his official handle.

"Happy and privileged to announce that in order to stay connected to the people of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has decided to join Twitter. His Twitter handle is @NawazSharifMNS #TwitterWelcomesNawazSharif," she wrote.

The former premier has been in the UK since November 2019 for his medical treatment.

His doctors said he is suffering from complicated cardiac disease and an immune system disorder that resulted in a dangerously low platelet count.

Last week, a medical report submitted to the LHC by his legal team said doctors have advised him against travel due to the coronavirus outbreak as he is suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and diseases of the kidney and heart. The report stated that as a heart patient, he is vulnerable to contracting Covid-19.

His lawyers contend that his treatment that was paused due to the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK would resume soon. Prior to the pandemic, Mr Sharif had been visiting St Guys’ and St Thomas’ Hospital as well as Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital for check-ups, which would help doctors determine next steps in his treatment.