Shehbaz to take Nawaz to London for treatment on Sunday: sources
LAHORE: The government may remove former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) in the next 48 hours, sources said on Friday. According to details, the officials at the interior ministry are waiting for the formal orders to remove the PML-N supremo’s name from the ECL. They added that the former premier will be allowed to travel abroad within the next 48 hours. Officials also said that the the three-time prime minister’s name will not be removed till the orders come from the government. It is also expected that the government may consult with NAB on the issue. The sources said that the former premier will travel to London next week. It is expected that the former premier will be accompanied by his brother Shehbaz Sharif. The PML-N president has also suspended all his political and personal engagements due to his brother’s health. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif had approached the interior ministry for the removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL), sources said. Nawaz who was discharged from the Services Hospital two days ago, was taken to his residence, Jati Umra on Wednesday, 16 days after he was hospitalised in critical condition. Nawaz’s name was placed on the no-fly list on the request of National Accountability Bureau. Earlier, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah had hinted towards allowing the former prime minister to seek treatment abroad, if that was the only option available. The interior minister said that if going abroad for treatment was the only option for Nawaz then the government would ‘find a way’. Before his release on bail, the three-time prime minister had been serving jail term in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. His daughter Maryam Nawaz, who is also out on bail, has said that her father was seriously ill and he should go abroad for treatment. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif will take his brother, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for medical treatment on Sunday, sources told Geo News. Arrangements have been made to have Nawaz treated at Harley Street Clinic. Both Nawaz and Shehbaz will take the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Sunday flight to London. Sources claimed that the Sharif family was also talking to a doctor in New York. Earlier, it was reported by this correspondent that Shehbaz would take Nawaz to London for medical treatment. The source shared that Shehbaz will accompany Nawaz to London and he has already spoken to consultants at one of the Harley Street clinics where patients suffering form drop in platelets are treated privately. The source added that a final decision will be made when Nawaz is discharged from Services Hospital. He will be treated at Sharif Medical hospital in Jati Umra. It is understood that Shehbaz has been speaking to Nawaz about the need of getting treatment abroad for many days, however, Nawaz refused to consider the option. The trusted source further said Shehbaz has advised Nawaz to consider staying in London for at least five months for full treatment of all medical issues and recovery. “Shehbaz Sharif has told his brother that his health comes before politics and everything else. Its important that Nawaz Sharif is in good health and he should get the best possible treatment at the best possible facilities,” the source said. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president’s view, according to the source, has also been supported by Services Hospital’s Dr Mehmood Ayaz, who heads the panel of doctors overseeing the treatment of the former prime minister, who has advised Nawaz to go abroad for treatment. Dr Ayaz has said the medical board set up for the PML-N leader’s treatment would give in writing that he should undergo genetic test from abroad. He said the foreign visit would become essential if doctors want to examine his body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness. On October 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia corruption reference for eight weeks on medical grounds. A two-member judge bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had earlier reserved the verdict on the plea seeking the suspension of the former premier’s sentence in the case. On Tuesday, the Lahore High Court bailed Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the Sugar Mill case after establishing that the NAB had failed to prove its case against her and there was no allegation of ill-gotten money and she had declared the income in her papers. Her passport remains with the court on National Accountability Court’s request.
