LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the Punjab government to shift PML-N’s former MNA Hanif Abbasi from Camp Jail to Sheikh Zayed Hospital for the treatment of heart and kidney.

A special court for anti-narcotics had in July 2018 awarded life sentence and fine of Rs1 million to Abbasi in ephedrine quota case. Initially he was kept in Adiala jail, Rawalpindi. He was shifted to Attock jail after his photograph with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the room of an Adiala jail’s official surfaced. Later he was shifted to camp jail of Lahore.

The counsel for Abbasi told a two-judge bench that the health condition of his client was not good in the jail as he had been suffering from heart and kidney disease. He argued that Abbasi should immediately be shifted to a hospital.

To a court’s query, the counsel pointed out that the Sheikh Zayed Hospital had the facility for the treatment of both -- heart and kidney. The law officer of the government opposed the defence’s request.

However, the bench observed that the matter involved health of a person and the government should deal it with grace.

The bench headed by Justice Aalia Neelum allowed the request of the petitioner and directed the government to shift him from jail to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the bench adjourned hearing on main appeal of Abbasi against his conviction till April 11.

Mr Abbasi termed his conviction politically motivated saying only one out of eight suspects was convicted and that was him. He denied the allegation of misusing the ephedrine quota and said the trial court ignored basic legal questions before handing down the impinged sentence.

ANF had registered a case against Abbasi and others in June 2012 under sections 9-C, 14 and 15 of the Control of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Act for misuse of 500kg of ephedrine.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019