Staff Reporter
Lahore
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar, said on Saturday that former premier Nawaz Sharif had left the country for treatment under certain conditions and that none of these had been fulfilled.
Akbar said that Nawaz was permitted to get medical treatment from abroad subject to returning within the stipulated time frame. Secondly, he was bound to submit his periodical medical reports and updates on his treatment to the court and the Punjab government. Akbar claimed that Nawaz had submitted “no such report” to either the court or the Punjab government.
Retracing the decisions taken at the time, he said that on October 29, 2019, the PML-N supremo was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court for eight weeks on medical grounds in the Al Azizia case.
“The bail was given on the condition that after eight weeks, in case he does not recover, the Punjab government will take up the matter under CrPC and conduct a proper hearing,” Akbar said.
After that, on November 16, Shehbaz Sharif filed an undertaking in Lahore High Court that Nawaz will return to Pakistan after the required medical procedures, he said.
Subsequently, on December 23, after the eight-week bail had expired, Nawaz had appealed to the Punjab government for an extension in his bail, Akbar said.
“Because the bail was granted on medical grounds, the Punjab government constituted another medical board. The board demanded fresh reports of Nawaz’s treatment in London,” he said, adding that the board was not satisfied with the reports as the PML-N supremo had “not even been administered an injection” over there. The medical board had then recommended that he should not be given an extension in bail.
Shahzad Akbar said that it was the responsibility of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif to ensure Nawaz Sharif’s return as he is the guarantor.
He said that Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif should show responsibility and produce his brother Nawaz Sharif before the law as he is a convict under the law. Talking about “NRO plus plus”, he said that Pakistan was in danger of moving from the Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list” to “black list”.
“If Pakistan were to be pushed into that list, we would become like Iraq and Iran after the wars. We wouldn’t even be able to import medicines [due to the sanctions imposed].”
The Accountability Adviser further said that Nawaz Sharif seems to be in good health leaving no reason for him to not return to Pakistan, all legal options will be employed to bring him back.
