The former premier, Nawaz Sharif’s daughter, Maryam Nawaz, on Tuesday, held Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government responsible for callously putting her father’s health and life at risk.
She claimed that Nawaz had experienced five episodes of angina over the past week in a series of tweets on social media after paying him a visit at Kot Lakhpat jail; calling into question what she believed was “heartlessness, hostility and political victimisation meted out to Mian Nawaz Sharif”.
A tweet read, “Mian Nawaz Sharif’s doctor and I met him at Kot Lakhpat jail today. During the meeting, he had an episode of angina and asked for his nitrate spray. It was then that he divulged that he has had similar attacks 4 times in last week. He reiterated that he will neither report [it] nor complain [about it].”
She maintained that no treatment was being offered to him even after he recently spent time in a hospital.
Maryam relayed that her father did not wish to be hospitalised as an excuse or escape.
Another tweet added, “Mian Nawaz Sharif is a three-time prime minister; the insensitivity and callousness regarding his health on part of the government is shocking, to say the least. My family and I are extremely concerned given the grave risk to his health. His condition is in every way life-threatening.”
Maryam claimed that it was medically known that each episode of angina posed greater harm to heart.
“Who will I blame or who will be responsible if anything happens to him God forbid? The callousness, I repeat, is shocking,” she asserted.
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had rejected his petition for release on bail on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia corruption case on February 25. The nine-page verdict detailed how Nawaz had asked for bail “solely” on medical grounds while pointing out that he had previously filed another petition seeking suspension of his sentence on merits of the case, but had subsequently withdrawn it.
The order maintained, “None of the reports [about Sharif’s condition] suggests that continued incarceration of the petitioner, in any way, would be detrimental to his life.”
The bench also observed that Sharif had been hospitalised time and again since January 2019, whenever he complained about his illness.
“In fact, the reports of board of doctors and various teams constituted are indicative of the fact that petitioner is receiving best possible medical treatment available to any individual in Pakistan,” it further added.
Nawaz is serving a seven-year jail term in the Al Azizia corruption case.
