The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided in principle to speed up its efforts to bring back Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for his medical treatment.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while interacting with the media persons at Koobay Chak on Sunday, said that following the Punjab government’s report, the federal government would now write a letter to the United Kingdom authorities for Nawaz’s repatriation.
Last week, the Punjab government had announced that it had decided against allowing a further extension in bail on medical grounds to the former premier and would send its recommendations to the Centre for making the final call on the matter.
Firdous, during the media interaction, claimed that the Sharif brothers – Nawaz and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif – were busy in protecting businesses of their children while staying in London after getting relief from courts in the name of illness.
The PM’s aide said the former prime minister was yet to be taken to a hospital in London and also failed to submit his medical report to the Punjab government and courts.
“The time has come to bring this VIP prisoner back to Pakistan,” she maintained.
The Islamabad High Court had suspended the prison sentence of the ailing former prime minister on medical grounds for eight weeks in the Al Azizia case on October 29 last year so he could receive medical treatment abroad.
It had also directed him to seek the Punjab government’s permission for further relief, if required.
Nawaz, along with his brother Shehbaz, left for London on November 20 – four days after the Lahore High Court directed the federal government to remove the former premier’s name from the Exit Control List.
The PTI-led federal government had also allowed him permission to fly abroad for treatment after a board of doctors constituted by the government concluded that his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.
The former prime minister has been diagnosed with a complicated coronary artery disease and seeking an extension in his stay abroad from the Punjab government.
Commenting on Doha peace deal, SAPM Firdous said the world has welcomed the peace accord signed between the United States and Afghan Taliban in the Qatari capital on Saturday.
She said Pakistan would continue playing its role for establishing sustainable peace in Afghanistan in future. Dr Firdous said that Pakistan had always made efforts for establishing peace in Afghanistan and the world has also acknowledged it now.
The special assistant regretted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had adopted and promoted aggression against the minorities, making the lives of Muslims a living hell.
She said that over 900,000 personnel of Indian army were writing a black history of human rights violations, brutal killings and genocide of the innocent Kashmiris these days, adding that lockdown and state terrorism had been taking place in the occupied valley for past over 200 days.
Firdous said the nasty episode was enough to shake the conscience of the world. “The whole of India is burning now, but the Indian state terrorism is not ending there,” she added.
The SAPM urged the media to play its constructive role in national development and prosperity. She said that despite financial hardship, reduction in petroleum products’ prices was a manifestation of the government’s commitment to provide relief to the public.
She said the decrease in petroleum products’ prices would lead to drop in prices of all other commodities.