LAHORE: The Punjab government is likely to make a decision about allowing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to stay abroad for an extended period next week after getting his medical reports assessed from a panel of local doctors.

“The government has received Mr Sharif’s medical reports and will get them assessed early next week from a panel of doctors,” a source in the government told Dawn on Friday.

Since Mr Sharif’s sentence was suspended on medical grounds and he was allowed to go abroad for treatment, the source said, it would be imperative that the doctors’ panel assess the reports and explain to the government whether the extension in his stay was necessary or not.

The Punjab government had constituted a four-member committee led by provincial Law Minister Basharat Raja to decide the request of ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif seeking an extension to his stay abroad for medical treatment, claiming that his condition was still “very critical”.

Mr Sharif had written to the Punjab home secretary seeking the extension (not limited to a specific period) following the end of his legitimate four-week stay out of the country for the purpose.

Mr Sharif had left for London over a month ago after the Punjab government granted him one-time permission to travel abroad for medical treatment during his bail period of four weeks without the condition of submitting indemnity bonds.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2019