Dubai: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman, has ruled out any political alliance with imprisoned former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Bilawal met Sharif on Monday at the Kot Lakhpat Jail where his grandfather and former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was also jailed before he was hanged during the former military dictator Ziaul Haq’s tenure. His father, former president Asif Ali Zardari, also spent time in the same jail.
Speaking to media after the meeting which he had requested, Bilawal said that he did not get any impression that a deal has been made for Sharif to leave the country.
“Today, I visited Mian Sb at Kot Lakhpat jail to inquire about his health. It is a historic day for me today as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, many PPP leaders and workers were imprisoned in this jail as well.”
“I felt upset when I met Mian Sb as he looked very ill. I request on behalf of the PPP that Mian Sb is given the best medical treatment and whatever treatment he has been demanding. I hope the prime minister and his government think on humanitarian grounds,” he added.
“Keeping a heart patient under pressure and stress is equivalent to torture,” he said.
Explaining about discussion with Sharif, the PPP Chairman said: “I only came here to inquire about Mian Sb’s health and we mostly discussed that. Obviously we are politicians and discussed other things, including the Charter of Democracy.”
“Mian Sb and Benazir Bhutto signed the Charter of Democracy in 2006 and it is our failure that it wasn’t fully implemented.
Senior party leaders, including Qamar Zaman Kaira, Mustafa Khokhar, Hassan Murtaza and Jameel Soomro accompanied Bilawal during his visit.
PPP leader Kaira had submitted a request to the Punjab home department on behalf of Bilawal to meet the incarcerated former premier on Saturday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday asked Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to ensure that every health facility in the country is made available for Nawaz to get the treatment of his choice.
Nawaz has been imprisoned at Kot Lakhpat jail since December 2018 following his conviction in a corruption reference in line with the Supreme Court’s July 2017 verdict.
Maryam thanks Bilawal
After the meeting, Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter to thank Bilawal for visiting her father in Kot Lakhpat jail.
“Thank you very much @BBhuttoZardari for your thoughtfulness & kind gesture. Means a lot to me. Prayers & every good wish. God bless,” she tweeted.
He said that though there are political differences between the two parties, the PPP and every individual should follow the cultural and religious values which dictate that a Muslim who is unwell should be visited and inquired after.
He said that no one should be disrespected; especially when a prisoner was unwell, it is the obligation of the government and leaders to provide them with the best medical treatment.
Sharif wants early hearing
Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), on Monday moved the Supreme Court once again seeking an early hearing of his petition against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision to dismiss his bail petition in the Al Azizia reference.
The petition filed by the former prime minister’s counsel upheld that earlier a petition had been filed requesting that the hearing be fixed on March 6, however, the top court’s registrar office had rejected the plea for early hearing.
The petition requested the court to fix the hearing in the ongoing week as Nawaz’s health has deteriorated.
IHC on February 25 dismissed Nawaz’s bail petition on medical grounds. The IHC said that none of the medical reports on Nawaz’s condition suggested that his continued incarceration would in any way be detrimental to his life.
