ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, who was under treatment at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), on Tuesday requested the doctors to allow him to attend an important meeting for a few hours.

A doctor at the private ward told Dawn that there has been improvement in Mr Hashmi’s health, so he was allowed to attend the meeting, but he was advised to return soon as he still needed to rest under medical supervision.

The PTI president was admitted to the hospital on Monday with complaints of sore throat and fever, resulting from dehydration and weakness. Chest X-rays, blood tests and electrocardiogram (ECG) were conducted; however, no serious problem was observed.

Mr Hashmi has been busy because of the ongoing PTI protest since August 14. Last week, he spent long hours in the rain.

Meanwhile, a number of politicians from different parties visited the hospital to inquire after Mr Hashmi’s health.

They included Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghauri of MQM, Ahsan Iqbal and Tehmina Daultana of PML-N, Speaker KP Assembly Asad Qaiser who belongs to PTI and Sheikh Rasheed of AML.

Late night on Monday, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also visited Pims to see Mr Hashmi.

Pims spokesman Dr Waseem Khawaja told Dawn that there was an improvement in Mr Hashmi’s health but he had to rest.

Published in Dawn, August 27th , 2014