LAHORE: Claiming that incarcerated Nawaz Sharif is suffering from recurring angina attacks, the ousted premier’s daughter Maryam Nawaz says that only a limited number of visitors are being allowed to meet her father in jail.

In a series of tweets about her father’s physical and country’s economic health on Thursday, she said that despite recurring angina, Nawaz Sharif’s doctor was not being allowed access to him.

“Despite recurring angina, MNS’ cardiologist is not being given access to him. Even today he was made to wait outside jail for 2 hours & sent back without meeting. Shame on Jaali-e-Azam.”

On Thursday, the day allocated for visiting inmates at the Kot Lakhpat Jail where Mr Sharif is serving his term in a corruption case, only five close relatives, including Maryam, were permitted to visit the ex-premier.

She protested that even the few meetings she had with her father were also strictly monitored in violation of the basic human rights and hinted at street agitation on the issue.

“Today too only 5 members (close blood relatives) were allowed to meet MNS, that too under strict surveillance. This is violation of basic human rights. I am NOT going to be a passive spectator. Beware.”

She said this in response to a tweet by one of her twitter followers in which it was suggested that Maryam should stage a sit-in outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail until personal physician of Nawaz Sharif was allowed to visit him.

“Now such a step seems imminent,” Maryam added.

She said if the ‘sham’ government didn’t allow Mian Sahib’s doctor to meet him and if God forbid the disease aggravated, then hundreds of millions of voters of the PML-N should know who is to be held responsible for it.

The PML-N vice-president sees the denial of medical facilities to her father as political victimisation under direct supervision of Prime Minister Imran Khan after she turned vocal [against the incumbent government].

“The victimisation increases as I become more vocal. Jaali-e-Azam is directly monitoring this. Would have been better if he had focused his energies on the sinking economy instead of Sharif family. What a petty, spiteful man!”

Ms Nawaz chided Imran Khan government for rapid slide of Rupee against dollar and other negative economic indicators.

Referring to the negative rating issued by Fitch, an international credit rating agency, she said, “It says the

Rupee was at 142 against US$ when IMF programme was agreed upon, but ever since it has plummeted to 160 (now 164).”

She said this happened “when you hand over a country of 220 million to a man whose only qualification is his servility, who otherwise does not even qualify for a managerial job. Too heavy a price for vested interests”.

Quoting some newspaper reports about bearish trend in stock exchange, exorbitant rise in gas tariff and hike in gold prices, she tweeted: “Dark days. Incompetence has taken a toll on Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2019