Daily Times

Maryam Nawaz on Friday requested authorities to establish a life-saving unit at Kot Lakhpat Jail, where her father and former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif is incarcerated. Having met her father in prison, Maryam Nawaz said the former premier had not agreed to be shifted to the hospital and his heart disease had worsened, according to cardiologists sent by the government to examine him a day ago.

“I request the jail authorities to establish an immediate resuscitation and life saving unit on jail’s premises,” she said in her tweet. Maryam further said that being a three-time PM and leader of biggest political party and of millions of people, this is the least Nawaz Sharif deserved.

Nawaz has been imprisoned at Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 2018 following his conviction in a corruption reference in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2017 verdict.

The former premier has lately declined to be shifted to hospital, saying that the government only insulted him and took him from one hospital to another, but did not initiate his treatment despite reports from several medical boards it constituted.

On Wednesday, he told his family that visited him in jail that he had not begged for treatment, nor would he ask for it.

“The government has not yet provided any treatment facility. I am only being troubled,” he had said. “I will prefer to die honourably, but humiliation is unacceptable.” Since then, the former premier has been adamant not to be shifted to hospital despite worsening health.

Published in Daily Times, March 9^th 2019.