LONDON: The personal physician of PML-N sup­remo Nawaz Sharif, Dr Adnan Khan, has alleged that he was attacked by two masked men in London’s Park Lane on Monday evening.

Dr Khan said on Tuesday he was going for his routine evening walk close to Avenfield House when he was attacked from behind by two men in masks. He told Dawn that the unidentified men dealt him “some nasty blows” which left him injured.

He proceeded to get scans and X-rays at a local hospital to determine the extent of injuries and was seen returning home the following day.

In a statement, Metropo­litan Police said it was investigating a robbery on Park Lane which they said took place at about 8:30pm on Monday. “The victim reported he was approached by two suspects who assaulted him and robbed him of his watch. He did not suffer serious injuries,” the Met Police said, adding that an inquiry was under way although no arrests had been made.

In a message posted to PML-N’s official Twitter account, Mr Sharif’s brother Shahbaz Sharif and other senior leaders of the party condemned the attack on Dr Khan and said it was a test case for Scotland Yard to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Dr Adnan was attacked to prevent Nawaz Sharif’s ongoing treatment,” Mr Shahbaz alleged, condemning the assault. “The incident reveals that it was a deliberate and pre-planned attack.”

Former prime minister and party stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, too, condemned the attack, terming it “attempted murder”, and said that after Mr Sharif, even his physician had been targeted. “The message of this attack on Dr Adnan is clear. Targeting political opponents and their associates is an extremely negative trend.”

Khawaja Asif said the attack on Dr Khan was not a mere coincidence and should be probed by the UK authorities as a serious matter.

Dr Khan has been in London since November 2019 when he accompanied Mr Sharif for his medical treatment here. He is the chief executive of Sharif Medical City and has been Mr Sharif’s personal physician for many years.

He regularly accompanies Mr Sharif to his doctors’ appointments and hospital visits and is the PML-N supreme leader’s focal point of contact with the government on health issues.

Mr Sharif arrived in London on Nov 19 along with his brother Mr Shahbaz after the government and courts granted him permission to travel abroad on medical grounds.

He and members of his family have consulted several doctors, including those who specialise in cardiac issues and immune disorders. He arrived in London three weeks after he was granted bail by the IHC on medical grounds.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2020