Special board to evaluate Sharif's fresh medical reports

Nine-member board to form opinion on former premier's 'known and reported facts and public activities'

ISLAMABAD:

The Punjab government on Friday forwarded the fresh medical reports on the health of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the special medical board for evaluation.

The nine-member board will submit its report on the review of medical reports within five days.

The development comes after Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan, a day earlier, had written a letter to the Punjab Home Department seeking a medical board’s opinion on Sharif’s health condition in view of the fresh medical report submitted by him in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

The provincial government was requested to place the Jan 28 document, issued by Dr Fayaz Shawl from Maryland, US, before the medical board with a request to examine it and evaluate the “known and reported facts and public activities” of the former premier to form an opinion.

The three-page medical report was submitted in the LHC on Tuesday. It advised Nawaz against undertaking any travel “without undergoing a definitive treatment in London”.
“If he [Sharif] returns to solitary confinement, he may develop what we call the takotsubo syndrome due to stressful environment” and it could have “devastating consequences”, Dr Shawl warned in the report.

The letter available with The Express Tribune mentioned the observations of the medical board formed by the Punjab government last month to examine the medical reports of Nawaz, who currently resided in London for medical treatment.

“The enclosed photocopied documents (29 pages) do not provide any information about his [Nawaz] current clinical evaluation, blood reports, imaging results and any interventional procedures done so far, said the letter referring to the report submitted by the medical board.

Therefore, it added that the special medical board is not in a position to render any structured advice or a considered opinion about Nawaz’s current physical condition and ability to travel.

The AGP last month issued stern caution to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif that contempt proceedings will be filed against him in case he fails to provide medical reports of his elder brother and party supremo Nawaz Sharif within 10 days.

The AGP office, in a letter, said as per the undertaking given by Shehbaz to the LHC, he was bound to provide regular “duly notarised” medical reports of his brother to the court.

It was evident from the observations of the special medical board formed by the Punjab government to examine PML-N supreme leader’s medical reports, the letter pointed out, that Shehbaz has not fulfilled his obligation as per his solemn undertaking and order of the court.

In November 2019, Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, left the country after he signed a court-approved undertaking, saying that he would return to the country within four weeks. Shehbaz too had signed an undertaking, that stated he would "ensure the return" of his brother "within four weeks or on certification by doctors that he has regained his health and is fit to return back to Pakistan".