LAHORE: PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed concern over deteriorating health of Nawaz Sharif saying the government would be solely responsible if his elder brother suffered any harm.

“The health of Nawaz Sharif is not good and the government has been showing serious negligence,” Shahbaz told media persons outside an accountability court where he went to attend proceedings of two NAB references against him and his son Hamza Shahbaz.

However, the proceedings in the Ashiana Housing Scheme and Ramzan Sugar Mills references were adjourned owing to absence of judge Syed Najamul Hassan Bokhari. Duty Judge Jawad Hassan took up the cases and deferred hearing without any progress till March 27.

In a brief media talk, Shahbaz said Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government would be responsible if anything bad happened to Nawaz. He said the government had been taking the issue of Nawaz’s health casually. He pointed out that Nawaz had already undergone an open heart surgery and was also a patient of diabetes and hypertension.

Shahbaz also expressed his wonder over the salary and perks of the Punjab chief minister, saying the increase was beyond his understanding. He said he never took any financial benefit or enjoyed perks from the public exchequer during his last 10-year stint as chief minister.

“I used to spend from my pocket on my medical treatment and foreign tours,” he said, adding he never withdrew his salary as chief minister and used his personal vehicle.

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz also disapproved of the move to increase the salaries and perks of the assembly members. He said on the one hand the government had been claiming shortage of funds while, on the other, it increased salaries of the parliamentarians.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2019