ISLAMABAD: With the president of their party in custody, the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has criticised the government for human rights violations, alleging that the lock-ups of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were like torture cells.

The PML-N has expressed concerns over the ‘deteriorating’ health of Shahbaz Sharif and asked the government that he be provided regular medical care.

In a statement, Marriyum Aurangzeb, former information minister, said that the leader of the opposition, Mr Sharif is a cancer patient and that his health is in precarious condition.

“The recent medical report of Mr Shahbaz Sharif is worrisome — NAB cells have been designed to give mental and physical torture to the inmates,” she said, adding that the treatment he is being given is a gross violation of human rights.

“We demand a medical board to oversee the health condition of Mr Shahbaz Sharif, which has deteriorated in the NAB torture cells. Who is responsible for that?” she asked.

Ms Aurangzeb also said that Mr Sharif will undergo further medical tests on Saturday.

She added that the detention of Mr Sharif on remand by NAB is unwarranted, and unnecessary.

Meanwhile, NAB strongly rebutted the “baseless and hard-hitting” allegations by PML-N that its lockups were like torture cells.

A NAB spokesman in a statement said that NAB presented each accused in the relevant accountability court to get his or her remand. “No accused has so far lodged any complaint of torture in custody or experiencing stay in torture cell and no person in custody has demanded medical examination due to torture,” the spokesman said.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2018