Medical board rejects report on Nawaz’s health condition

The medical board formed by the Punjab government has rejected the report on former premier Nawaz Sharif’s health condition submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC) earlier this month that restrained him from travelling to Pakistan without undergoing “definitive medical treatment”.

“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 Fayaz Shawl had warned in the report.

The nine-member medical board on Friday termed the report “incomplete”, saying that the three-page report authored by Dr Shawal did not contain any laboratory tests or medical report of any health institution, Express News reported on Friday.

Earlier this month, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan had written a letter to the Punjab Home Department, seeking a medical board’s opinion on Sharif’s health condition.

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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 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".