LAHORE: In view of the health conditions of incarcerated Nawaz Sharif the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) advises the government to shift the former prime minister to his home by declaring it sub jail.

“Nawaz Sharif is suffering from complicated health problems and it may worsen under stress in the suffocating prison environment with limited health facilities. The government should declare his residence a sub jail and shift him there so that he may have better healthcare and stress-free setting,” says former Punjab governor Makhdoom Ahmad Mahmood.

He advises the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government not to take risk by detaining the ex-premier at the jail because the Sharifs have a cardiac [problem] history and any eventuality may cost ‘heavily’ to the authorities.

Former governor says ex-premier’s house be declared sub jail due to his health

Talking to Dawn here on Tuesday, he recalls that both Mian Muhammad Sharif as well as Abbas Sharif, younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, had died of cardiac arrest.

He says PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has had talked [the other day] of shifting Nawaz Sharif to his home in that context.

In response to a query about Mr Zardari’s prediction that the incumbent government will go home in six months, Mr Mahmood, who is also president of the PPP’s South Punjab chapter, says the former president hinted at formation of a ‘National Government’ as the PTI is failing to handle particularly economic affairs of the country.

“The economy is shrinking because of badmouthing of the rulers, creating uncertain conditions in the country. The Pakistan Stock Exchange has witnessed at least $36 billion worth of capital flight during the last 10 months and on the other hand the government is attempting to collect more revenue from the shrunken economy,” he laments.

In such conditions, governments would increase their development budget to kick-start economic activities and give confidence to investors. But here the development budget has been halved to further flogging a dead horse, says the former governor.

He says immediately after taking oath Prime Minister Imran Khan should have invited Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Shahbaz Sharif for working together for improving the national economy particularly in their respective provinces of influence leaving the task of accountability only to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The step, he says, would have developed confidence among investors while making the accountability process more credible.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2019