November 28, 2007	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 17, 1428

LAHORE, Nov 27: A team of lawyers which had a glimpse of Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) by chance at the Services Hospital on Tuesday said his family was still being denied access to him.

Justice Mahmood was being wheel-chaired to an X-ray room when LHCBA vice president Firdous Butt and others met him. She had visited the hospital along with SCBA VP Ghulam Nabi Bhatti, secretary Chaudhry Amin Javed, LBA president Syed Muhammad Shah, LHCBA secretary Sarfraz Cheema, former LHCBA president Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, media adviser Muhammad Azhar Siddiqui and PML-N lawyers wing additional secretary Sirajul Islam.

“Later I met Justice Tariq’s wife who complained that the officials were not allowing them to see him,” said Firdous Butt.

Justice Mahmood told the lawyers that he was suffering from backache and arthritis because of lack of facilities at the Sahiwal jail. “I was not given any medicine there which really complicated my problem,” he told lawyers.

Firdous Butt said the justice could have gone into hiding on the Nov 3 night, when emergency was imposed, but he stayed at home from where he was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, in a handout, the Punjab government said Justice Tariq Mehmood was shifted to the Services Hospital for medical treatment by an orthopadic specialist.

“He has been examined by a consultant orthopadic of unit-I and as per advice of the surgeon he has been admitted to the hospital for further treatment.”

According to a spokesman of the Prisons department, Tariq Mehmood during his routine examination at the Sahiwal jail had complained of left knee joint pain. He was examined by the Sahiwal DHQ orthopadic surgeon who diagnosed him a patient of sever osteoarthritis, the handout said.