Pakistan: Punjab forms medical board to examine Nawaz Sharif’s health reports
Ex-PM left for London in November 2019 after Khan granted permission for treatment
Islamabad: The Punjab government has constituted a medical board to examine documents submitted as medical reports of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Lahore High Court (LHC) by his physician Dr David Lawrence.
The decision according to the provincial government has been taken in line with the federal cabinet’s directions.
The federal cabinet on Wednesday asked for experts’ opinion related to the medical reports of the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
In the light of the federal cabinet’s decision, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) wrote a letter to the Punjab government directing it to consult experts regarding the medical reports of former premier Nawaz Sharif submitted in the LHC and assess whether his condition had improved.
The board is constituted by the specialized healthcare and medical education department of the Punjab.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader had left for London in November 2019 following his deteriorating health condition and after Prime Minister Imran Khan granted him permission to go abroad for medical treatment.
In the light of the medical board’s recommendations, the government would decide whether to bring Nawaz Sharif back to the country and initiate legal proceedings against Shahbaz Sharif as the guarantor of his brother.
Nine-member board
The Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar confirmed that a notification has been issued in this regard, according to which the medical board comprised Dr Mohammad Arif Nadeem, Dr Ghias-un-Nabi Tayyab, Dr Saqib Saeed, Dr Shahid Hameed, Dr Bilal S Mohiuddin, Dr Ambreen Hamid, Dr Shafiq-ur-Rehman, Dr Moona Aziz, and Dr Khadija Irfan.
The board comprising senior doctors will evaluate former premier Nawaz Sharif’s medical record regarding his health condition and submit an assessment report to the provincial government in five days.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on a number of occasions has said the government will move the LHC against Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly for filing a fake affidavit for the return of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif after treatment abroad.
“Nawaz Sharif went abroad through fraud and his activities in London are a mockery of the state of Pakistan and its laws,” Chaudhry had said at a news conference after the federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said the cabinet directed the attorney general to plead with the LHC to either instruct Shahbaz Sharif to bring his brother back or face disqualification as a member of the National Assembly under Article 63 of the Constitution.
“Shahbaz Sharif filed a fake affidavit which is a violation of Article 63 of the Constitution and he should also be penalized for this offence”, Chaudhry remarked.