Daily Times

An accountability court on Friday accepted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s petition seeking exemption from appearing before the court in Chaudhry Sugar Mills(CSM) case on medical grounds.

While talking to media at accountability court premises, lawyer of the depose premier Amjad Pervaiz said that a new medical certificate had been submitted to the court.

“Nawaz Sharif is under clinical supervision,” the counsel said while stating the medical certificate provided by Nawaz’s consultant in London Dr Laweance. “He [Nawaz] will undergo a medical examination which is scheduled to take place in the last week of February.” The counsel said that in light of the scheduled procedures, the doctor believes that Nawaz is not fit to travel to Pakistan.

After seeing the medical certificate, the honourable accountability court judge exempted the former premier from appearing before the court and adjourned the hearing till February 28.

The judicial remand of Nawaz’s nephew Yousaf Abbas was extended till February 28 in CSM case. “Nawaz Sharif will face trial when he recovers,” the lawyer said. Earlier in January, Punjab government rejected Nawaz’s medical report claiming it was prepared by a private UK doctor instead of his general physician in London.

According to the information obtained by The Express Tribune, the medical report sent by the private doctor lacks details about Nawaz’s treatment with regard to his blood platelet count.

Nawaz, who is serving a seven-year jail term, was granted bail and later allowed to go abroad particularly for the treatment of the ailment responsible for the constant drop in his platelet count.

In November last year, the former PM’s personal physician Dr Adnan Khan had set alarm bells ringing, saying that Nawaz’s condition was serious as his platelets had dropped to a critically low level.

Sources claim that Nawaz has sent medical reports prepared by a doctor who didn’t even conduct his check-up in London.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz was produced before an accountability court in assets beyond means and money-laundering case on Friday. According to details, the son of the former Chief Minister Punjab and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was produced before the court, where the judge extended his judicial remand by 14 days. The authorities were directed to bring the PML-N leader before the court on February 28.