Daily Times

LAHORE: Punjab Home Department on Monday formed a committee to examine the medical reports of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is seeking an extension in his bail.

According to details, the committee headed by provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat also includes Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and Additional Chief Secretary (Interior) Momin Agha.

Earlier, Punjab government had raised objections over Nawaz’s reports and said that incomplete medical information was submitted.

The medical reports stated that delay in Nawaz Sharif s angiography could pose life threat to him.

On Oct 29, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had suspended the sentence of former premier Nawaz Sharif on medical grounds for eight weeks in the Al-Azizia reference case. The court had ordered him to submit two surety bonds of Rs2 million each to the court for securing his release.

A plea for bail had been filed by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on behalf of his brother Nawaz, who was under treatment at Lahore’s Services Hospital. The court further announced that for an extension in bail, the Punjab government should be approached.

On Oct 25, Nawaz procured bail on medical grounds in the ongoing Chaudhry Sugar Mills case from the Lahore High Court. The former premier submitted two surety bonds worth Rs10 million each for his release in the case.

Shehbaz Sharif had filed the bail application for the release of his brother from the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

“We applied for bail on the grounds that his health conditions were deteriorating and that he needs better treatment,” his lawyer, Azam Tarar, told reporters after the ruling.

On Nov 19, Sharif arrived in London, three weeks after he was granted bail by the IHC in the Al-Azizia case on medical grounds, along with his brother Shahbaz Sharif after the government and courts granted him permission to travel abroad. Sharif and members of his family had also consulted with several doctors, including those who specialise in cardiac issues and immune disorders.

In 2018, accountability judge Arshad Malik had convicted Nawaz in the Al-Azizia reference but acquitted him in the Flagship Investment case. He was handed seven years in jail in the reference with a fine – Rs1.5 billion or $25 million.