LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supreme leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif this week had a string of unscheduled hospital visits here after he developed acute pain in his kidney, family sources told Dawn.

“He is very unwell and has serious pain in his kidney owing to deteriorating kidney function. Doctors are conducting tests and scans to determine a course of action,” Dr Adnan Khan, Mr Sharif’s personal physician, said, adding that the PML-N leader had developed kidney stones.

Mr Sharif visited consultants on Harley Street on Tuesday and Wednesday and is scheduled for more scans on Thursday (today).

On Tuesday, Maryam Nawaz said in a tweet that her father was unable to participate in a meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement because of “severe kidney pain” and added that she would attend in his place.

Nawaz Sharif has been in the United Kingdom since November last year after getting bail from the court on medical grounds and securing permission from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

The government is now making all-out efforts to bring him back, with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar urging the UK home secretary in an Oct 5 letter to deport Mr Sharif. The Home Office is yet to respond to the government’s request.

Mr Sharif’s visits to the hospital were temporarily paused when the UK went into lockdown in March and when non-urgent surgery patient appointments were postponed due to the heavy burden of Covid-19 patients on the National Health Service.

Members of the government on several occasions have dismissed the family’s statements regarding PML-N leader’s health and are making renewed efforts to bring him back to Pakistan to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in the Al-Azizia case.

Mr Sharif’s doctors say he is suffering from complicated cardiac disease and an immune system disorder that resulted in a dangerously low platelet count. In August, a medical report submitted to the Lahore High Court by his legal team stated that doctors have advised the PML-N leader against travel due to the coronavirus outbreak as he is suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and diseases of the kidney and heart. The report stated that as a heart patient, he is vulnerable to contracting Covid-19.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2020