LAHORE: On the first day of his release from prison, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif underwent a medical check-up at a health facility close to his Jati Umra residence here on Wednesday.

His personal physician Dr Adnan said it was a routine check-up conducted at the Sharif Medical City Hospital — a facility set up by the former ruling family about two decades ago.

Mr Sharif, who was released from Kot Lakhpat jail late on Tuesday night after the Supreme Court granted him bail for six weeks to get medical treatment in the country, had breakfast with his family. He along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz also went to the grave of former first lady Kulsoom Nawaz and offered Fateha before he was shifted to the hospital for the check-up.

The former premier may be admitted to hospital if his doctor in London, Dr Lawrence, gives a go-ahead in this respect.

Dr Adnan said Mr Sharif was suffering from “significant heart disease” and expressed concern about recent deterioration in his kidney functions. He told the media that he had a lengthy conversation with Mr Sharif and upon his request the former premier promised to come to the Sharif Medical City Hospital on Thursday morning. He said a medical board of experts was being formed to assess as to what investigation and blood tests were required.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Daniyal Aziz and Hamza Shahbaz visited the former premier at Jati Umra, where political matters as well as his bail plea were also discussed.

In an informal talk with the media, Dr Chaudhry welcomed the relief [bail] the apex court had given to Nawaz Sharif on medical grounds. He said efforts were being made to regularly consult the doctors who had been treating the former prime minister in London.

Meanwhile, former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq told a ceremony here that the PML-N would no more cooperate with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in various matters in parliament. He told a questioner that an alliance of like-minded political parties was need of the hour for strengthening democracy and that he would try his best to convince his party on the issue.

He said that on the one hand Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that the National Accountability Bureau was working independently and, on the other, he and his cabinet colleagues would regularly meet NAB officials. “The whole world knows that the government and NAB are hand in gloves though the minister will deny the fact.”

Referring to Prime Minister Khan’s claim while in the opposition that he would commit suicide rather than seeking loans from the International Monetary Fund and other lending agencies, Mr Sadiq said the IMF team was in the country and the same Imran was taking his “begging bowl” to the lending agency.

The former NA speaker lamented that “loose” remarks of Prime Minister Khan about interim government in the neighbouring country created a gulf in relations with Afghanistan, while Iran also seemed annoyed with Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2019