–Punjab govt shifts former PM to Services Hospital amid high security, directs MS to send him back at once after conclusion of medical tests
–Govt constitutes fourth medical board to examine PML-N supremo
LAHORE: The Punjab government on Saturday transferred former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Lahore’s Services Hospital on the recommendation of a special medical board constituted to examine the ailing premier after he complained of chest pain.
Nawaz, who was brought to the hospital amid high security, was warmly welcomed by the doctors at the hospital. After being treated to tea and snacks, the ex-PM was shifted to a heavily guarded VIP room. His supporters were also present outside the hospital.
A board of doctors from the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS) met Nawaz Sharif in the evening to record his initial medical history.
The Punjab Home Department issued an official notification, asking the jail authorities to shift the former premier to the hospital.
Nawaz Sharif being shifted to hospital as supporters shower his vehicles with petals.
According to the notification, Nawaz will remain in the hospital till the completion of his medical checkup. The superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail has been ordered to ensure that the ex-PM is shifted back to prison once the medical examination is complete.
The Services Hospital MS said the hospital had yet to receive former PM’s medical report from the board that examined him in the jail. “A detailed checkup will be done once the reports are received.” He hinted that the hospital may not be able to provide treatment for any heart ailment that Nawaz may be suffering from.
A three-member medical board, comprising Principal Professor Mehmood Ayaz, Professor Sajid Nisar and Professor Kamran Cheema, will carry out the medical checkup.
Earlier, two special medical boards of the Allama Iqbal Medical College/Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, and the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore, examined Nawaz at the jail. The AIMC/Jinnah Hospital board had recommended that Nawaz should be shifted to hospital for “optimal treatment”.
However, the government, instead, had opted for the constitution of the third board, comprising army doctors. The board after a thorough examination had recommended the government to shift Nawaz to the hospital.
Nawaz Sharif was sent to jail by an accountability court last year after he was found guilty of corrupt practices in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs1.5 billion and $25 million on Nawaz — a total of Rs5bn. A disqualification of 10 years from holding any public office is part of the sentences awarded to the former PM and will come into effect following his release from jail after serving the seven-year sentence.
In September 2017, a probe against Nawaz was launched. He was first convicted and sentenced for 10 years in July last year in a case related to Avenfield properties in London. The Islamabad High Court granted him bail in the case in September. He was later convicted in the Al-Azizia case in December 2018.
