05 January 2005	Wednesday	23 Ziqa'ad 1425

ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The exiled president of the PML-N, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, had sought permission from the Saudi authorities to travel to the United States for a medical check-up , parliamentary leader of the party in Senate, Ishaq Dar, told Dawn on Tuesday.

The PML-N senator said that Mr Sharif had informed the Saudi government in writing two days ago that his medical check-up in the US was overdue and he should be allowed to leave the country immediately.

Mr Dar said Shahbaz Sharif had undergone a major surgery in the US in 2003 in which doctors removed a tumour from his body. After that surgery, he said, doctors had advised Mr Sharif to have medical check-ups regularly in London and New York.

He said that the check-up was due in the last week of December. The PML-N senator hoped that the Pakistan government 'will not create any hurdle in this regard and consider the matter on humanitarian grounds'.

He said when the Saudi authorities had contacted the Pakistan government in 2003 for the same purpose, the latter did not raise any objection and had asked the Saudi government to facilitate the visit.

"This time, too, I hope the Pakistan government will adopt the same attitude," the PML-N senator said. Responding to a question, he said that Shahbaz Sharif had not made any request to the Pakistan government in this regard.