Daily Times

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday requested the Supreme Court to grant him ‘permanent bail’ and allow him to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The former Prime Minister’s counsel, Khawaja Haris, filed a civil review petition against the top court’s March 26 order, requesting the court to allow Nawaz Sharif to get medical treatment from abroad.

The three-time prime minister had been in jail since December 2018 following his conviction in Al Azizia corruption reference in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2017 verdict. On March 26, the top court had granted him bail on medical grounds for six weeks to obtain treatment within the country. The court had ruled that he will not be allowed to leave the country for treatment.

The review petition says the relief is being sought given the complicated and life threatening nature of Nawaz’s ischemic heart disease, carotid artery disease, lymphadenopathy and renal artery stenosis coupled with co-morbid diseases -blood pressure, Type-II diabetes mellitus and third-stage chronic kidney disease. It said according to the fresh medical report, Nawaz continues to suffer from acute anxiety and depression that may lead to ‘sudden death’. It says the recommendation by the doctors unequivocally shows that treatment of Nawaz Sharif as well as his full recovery is not possible within a six-week period. “It is requested that the SC grant him bail without any specific condition,” the petition stated.

The special medical board’s fresh report dated April 23 has also been mentioned in the review petition. The medical report says the former prime minister is going through ‘extreme stressful circumstances in the last two years which multiplied manifold with his wife’s terminal illness and untimely demise’. “In our opinion, given Sharif’s multiple co-morbidities, any form or degree of stressful situation, physical or psychological, will significantly potentiate the disease and enhance the risk factors leading to the chances of a sudden cardiac death or significant cardiovascular/ cerebrovascular morbidities vis-s-vis multiple debilitating co-morbidities,” the doctors said in the report, adding that the former prime minister requires round-the-clock cardiac monitoring and also needs day-to-day specialist care for his uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension. “He needs special dietary management and daily titration of insulin dose whereas his medications have been optimized with strict dietary restriction and he is also advised stress management,” the medical report stated.

The petition requested the court to review its direction that places restriction on Nawaz that he may apply bail while surrendering before a court on the expiry of six weeks from the date of his release. It also objected that in the order orally announced in the open court, it was said that should Nawaz require an extension in bail, he could approach the Islamabad High Court. However in the order dated March 29, this portion of the order was omitted. It requested the apex court to modify the March 26 verdict and allow Nawaz to travel abroad for medical treatment. “It is submitted that this may be due to a typographical error but nevertheless remains an error meriting rectification in the order dated March, 26 2019,” it stated.

Reacting to the development, Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Nawaz Sharif’s drama of disease has reached its climax with his application for treatment abroad. It has proved beyond any doubt that he wants to go to London in order to escape prison, she said.

In a statement, the special assistant said that Marriyum Aurangzeb is the spokesperson of the corrupt leaders whose interpretation and explanation cannot hide billions of rupees recovered from the account of a ‘papperwala’. She said it is surprising that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is feeling the pain of general public. People got poorer as both PPP and PML-N looted the national resources during their tenures, she added.

Awan said that lavish lifestyle of the opposition leaders belies their claims of affection with the poor as they even do not know the prices of daily use items. “It will be miraculous if Bilawal can inform about the prices of daily use items,” she said, and added that flawed policies of both the parties led to the current poor economic conditions of the country. news desk