• ‘No compromise on his health, come what may’
• Ahsan says medical reports to be filed in IHC

LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leadership has reque­sted party supremo Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan from the United Kingdom only after his medical treatment is complete, asking the government to refrain from doing politics over his health.

The request was made by senior leaders after attending a meeting held at Model Town on Saturday in the wake of the Islamabad High Court’s direction to the ex-PM to appear before the court and surrender to the authorities by Sept 10 or face legal proceedings for absconsion.

PML-N leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif, Rana Sanaullah, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khurram Dastgir, Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Azma Bokhari attended the meeting and made the party’s stance clear that there would be no compromise on former premier’s health.

Asked why the party leadership felt the need to “request” him to extend his stay in London, a party leader told Dawn that the former premier had expressed his intention to return on the court order, leaving his treatment midway. “The whole party wants to express solidarity with its quaid by requesting him to extend his stay till completion of his treatment and make it clear that it is not ready to compromise on the issue of his health, come what may,” the leader said.

Speaking at the presser, PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said: “The PML-N has pleaded its quaid not to compromise on his health and return to Pakistan only after he recovers, and all his doctors permit him to travel back to Pakistan and grant him a certificate of fitness.”

He said: “Nawaz Sharif is not only an asset to his party, but to the nation as well. So there can be no compromise on his life and health.”

Mr Iqbal said the matter of life and death was not decided in talk shows, hoping that the judiciary would take into consideration the coronavirus outbreak that has affected health services and treatment across the world.

The PML-N leader remarked that his party’s supremo had not gone to London for tourism rather he was given special permission by courts for his treatment. The PTI government itself had verified his health issues before allowing him to proceed abroad, he added.

“Completion of Nawaz Sharif’s treatment should be the first priority and the government and PTI leaders should refrain from doing politics on his health. They did the same when Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was ill. The PTI had attacked [her] with the most irresponsible and scathing remarks during her ailment and even after her death they were shamelessly unapologetic over their comments,” he stressed.

In reply to a question, the former interior minister said: “The legal team [of the Sharif family] will examine legal matters in this respect, as Mr Sharif’s medical reports were regularly submitted to the courts and the [fresh] reports will be submitted [to the IHC],” he stated.

Answering a question regarding a multiparty conference being planned by the opposition parties, Mr Iqbal said a meeting of the Rehbar Committee had decided to hold the MPC on Sept 20. It had been called while the National Assembly would be in session on the proposal of the main opposition party, PML-N.

Mr Sharif’s last medical report was submitted to the Lahore High Court over a month ago.

Signed by London-based consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Dr David Lawrence, the report stated that medical investigations and opinions indicated a significantly reduced blood supply to Nawaz’s heart and its impaired functionality. “He must undergo coronary catheterisation as a significant part of his heart is at risk. The treatment of Mr Sharif has been carried out conservatively as is merited by the prognosis of various diseases he suffers from.”

The report said that a multidisciplinary approach was warranted for his safety while undergoing an invasive procedure due to unstable platelet count and co-morbidities (hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease), which carried a significant risk of bleeding and possibility of a procedural or peri-procedural adverse cardiac event.

It said Nawaz would be scheduled for an invasive cardiac procedure once the hospital started planning elective procedures amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and given that he, being in the high-risk category, was stable enough to go through the intervention.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2020