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Tag: Nawaz Sharif

  • Govt allows Nawaz to travel abroad, for four weeks only

    Govt allows Nawaz to travel abroad, for four weeks only

    Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem announced that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment. He added that Sharif can only go abroad for four weeks.

    “This permission will be subject to Nawaz or Shehbaz Sharif submitting an indemnity bond to the tune of roughly Rs7-7.5 billion to the satisfaction of additional secretary to the Ministry of Interior.”

    This will be one-time permission only.

    The law minister announced this on Wednesday at a press conference after a meeting of the federal cabinet’s sub-committee. The meeting has decided to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the basis of his critical medical condition.

    Farogh Naseem and Shahzad Akbar making the announcement

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said that it was the federal government’s responsibility to ensure a guarantee from Nawaz Sharif.

    “The bond is only over surety, not any political gain,” Akbar said the Ministry of Interior will issue the letter of permission. He reminded everyone that Mian Nawaz Sharif had been sentenced in a corruption case while an investigation is still underway in other cases.

    Nawaz had refused this conditional permission to travel abroad on Tuesday.

  • 10,000 jailed inmates like Nawaz, want bail

    10,000 jailed inmates like Nawaz, want bail

    After news of Nawaz Sharif’s relief from the court spread across the country, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday referred a petition filed for the release of 10,000 sick inmates, like Nawaz Sharif, to Punjab chief secretary.

    Kot Lakhpat jail Lahore, where Nawaz was jailed

    The court asked the chief secretary to decide the plea after hearing the position of the petitioner. The petitioner had submitted that more than 10,000 ailing inmates were in different jails across the country and adequate health facilities and resources were not given to them .

    RELATED: Meat-lover Nawaz unhappy with ‘tasteless’ vegetarian meals in jail: report

    He also stated that since the constitution was equal for all, there should be no special service for Nawaz and if there was, other patients also have the same rights.

  • No conditions: Nawaz decides not to leave the country

    No conditions: Nawaz decides not to leave the country

    After the government announced earlier that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be allowed to leave the country on ‘conditional permission’, Nawaz has refused to leave Pakistan.

    Sources claim that a one-and-a-half hour meeting took place between Nawaz and his brother Shahbaz Sharif at Nawaz’s residence where he took this decision.

    Analysts say the only course of action for the Sharifs is to take the case to court but that might take time. Since Nawaz’s doctors have stated that he is in immediate danger and needs to be treated abroad, going to court might be a difficult decision for the family.

    Nawaz’s departure is now unconfirmed and Geo News sources are claiming that an air ambulance has not been called for transporting Nawaz, as previously claimed by the media.

    On the other hand, the cabinet committee will officially announce tomorrow if Nawaz’s name has been taken off the exit control list. The decision will be announced at 10 am Wednesday morning.

  • ‘Will allow Maryam to travel abroad as well if she gets ill,’ says Interior minister

    ‘Will allow Maryam to travel abroad as well if she gets ill,’ says Interior minister

    Interior Minister Ijaz Shah has said that even Maryam Nawaz would be allowed to travel abroad if she was unwell, Geo News reported.

    According to the details, the minister said that there was no difference of opinion in the cabinet over the issue of removing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

    “Nawaz Sharif is being allowed to go abroad on humanitarian grounds,” Shah said, adding that according to the doctors, former Prime Minister’s health was in critical condition and his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.

    “Nawaz is not going out of the country on a permanent basis. He will return after recovering from illness,” Shah said, dispelling the notion that the PML-N leader was being given relief under a deal.

    He added that all the ministers were in favour of allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment.

    Commenting on the ongoing Azadi March, Shah said, “We are giving Maulana Fazlur Rehman so many facilities that he will forget his demand for the prime minister’s resignation.”

    The minister, however, conceded that the JUI-F chief was not going to leave Islamabad anytime soon. “We have given him water, electricity and medical support,” he said, adding that Maulana Fazl had grown fond of Islamabad.

  • ‘No NRO for corrupt,’ Imran tells Rehmatullil Alameen Conference as Nawaz packs bags

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that those who looted the nation deserved no leniency, and no National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) or other relaxations could be given to the corrupt.

    “People have said that I should forgive those who have looted the country, but it is not my money that they have looted,” the premier said as he addressed the International Rehmatullil Alameen Conference in Islamabad while his political nemesis and convicted former PM Nawaz Sharif packed bags for London.

    Imran added that people donated to charities, but did not pay taxes. “If they don’t give taxes, how will the country move forward? Those who plundered the wealth of the nation deserve no right to be spared.”

    The statements came soon after reports claiming that the Imran-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had allowed Nawaz to travel abroad for medical treatment after his health deteriorated in jail.

    The convicted former premier was earlier granted bail during his stay at Lahore’s Services Hospital following a critical decline in his platelet count.

    NAWAZ’S TICKET CANCELLED:

    Nawaz, accompanied by his brother Shehbaz Sharif and family physician Dr Adnan, was scheduled to leave for London on Monday via Qatar Airways’ commercial flight QR-629 from Lahore.

    His ticket, however, was canceled as his name remains on the Exit Control List (ECL) despite Shehbaz’s request seeking its removal for medical treatment abroad.

    Soon after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief’s request, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had opposed the removal of ailing Nawaz’s name from the no-fly list whereas government sources had hinted at possible foreign travel permission to the ex-PM.

    While Imran’s government had also allowed the premier to travel abroad for medical treatment, the premier had reportedly said that Nawaz’s removal from the ECL was subject to NAB’s approval.

    The statements had come despite Federal Interior Minister Brig (r) Ijaz Shah on October 31 saying that Nawaz’s name was not on the list in the first place.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “I checked the record and we did not put him [Nawaz Sharif] on ECL,” he had said while addressing a joint press conference with Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan.

    What do you think of the entire episode? Let us know in the comments

  • Govt to remove Nawaz’s name from ECL: sources

    Govt to remove Nawaz’s name from ECL: sources

    After months of denying reports regarding relief to ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL), The Current has learnt.

    “His name will be removed from the no-fly list within the next 72 hours,” sources said and added that the convicted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo would subsequently be allowed to travel abroad.

    The development comes hours after Nawaz’s brother and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif approached the Interior Ministry for the removal of the former premier’s name from the ECL.

    Nawaz, who was discharged from Lahore’s Services Hospital two days ago, was taken to his residence, Jati Umra, on Wednesday — 16 days after he was shifted to the hospital from jail in critical condition. With a precarious drop in his platelet count, the premier was also granted bail during his stay at the hospital.

    On Thursday, media reports claimed that the former premier had been convinced by his brother to leave the country for some time and seek medical treatment abroad.

    With Nawaz reportedly agreeing to leave, his daughter and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who was also granted bail earlier this month, on Friday was seen agreeing with the decision.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In an informal conversation with journalists outside an accountability court, she had said that her father’s health was critical and he must be allowed to travel abroad if that was the only option.

    “Politics will go on, but parents will not always be around. I am only focused on Nawaz Sharif’s health for now,” she said while responding to a question regarding her plans to join Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s sit-in in Islamabad.

    Commenting on whether she would accompany her father if he leaves the country for medical treatment, Maryam said that she could not travel immediately as her passport was with the court.

  • PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    PICTURES: Special ICU set up for Nawaz Sharif at Jati Umra

    Sixteen days after being treated at the Services Hospital in Lahore, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif arrived at Jati Umra where a special ICU has been set up for him.

    According to a statement issued by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, a special medical unit has been prepared at Sharif’s Jati Umra residence and he will be treated at home.

    “An intensive care unit (ICU) has been prepared under the supervision of Dr Adnan (his personal doctor),” Aurangzeb said adding that an ICU ventilator and cardiac facilities have also been provided.

    Sharing pictures of the unit on social media, Dr Adnan said that “a specialised HDU” has been established for Nawaz’s treatment “which is appropriately equipped and staffed 24/7.”

    The doctors have banned visitors and will ensure that Nawaz remains under intensive care. The doctors have also advised Maryam Nawaz to take precautionary measures for the health of her father.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry took a jibe at the PML-N supremo and said that he was the first patient to move home from the hospital despite being sick.

    On October 29, the Islamabad High Court suspended Sharif’s sentence in the Al-Azizia corruption reference for eight weeks on medical grounds.

  • Govt paving way for Nawaz to leave country?

    Govt paving way for Nawaz to leave country?

    Government-constituted medical board that is overseeing the treatment of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, has recommended him a genetic test that is not available in Pakistan, The News International reported.

    Reports quoted the head of the medical panel, Prof Dr Mehmood Ayaz, as saying that Nawaz needed to go abroad for treatment. “We will inform the Health Department in writing that Nawaz should undergo a genetic test abroad,” he reportedly said.

    According to Dr Ayaz, a foreign visit would become essential if doctors want to examine Nawaz’s body tissues in order to diagnose the exact cause of his illness since the former prime minister (PM) was “not facing a minor genetic issue”.

    With the panel head’s comments making headlines, rumour has it that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — in both Punjab and centre — is paving way for the PML-N supremo to leave the country and “a deal has been struck”.

    On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ijaz Shah had also hinted at allowing Nawaz to seek treatment abroad “if that turns out to be the only option”. According to some reports, incumbent PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif is also trying to convince his brother to leave the country for treatment.

  • Maryam Nawaz still not released despite bail

    Maryam Nawaz still not released despite bail

    While the Lahore High Court granted bail to Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday, her release has so far been delayed due to procedural issues.

    As per media reports, Maryam Nawaz’s lawyers were late in completing the necessary documentation. However, sources share that the delay wasn’t at Maryam’s lawyers’ end.

    Due to the delay in her release, Mian Nawaz Sharif also did not shift to Sharif Medical City Hospital despite being discharged from Services Hospital on Tuesday. Mr. Sharif is adamant that he will shift only when Maryam Nawaz is released so that she can go with him.

    Meanwhile, #ReleaseMaryamNOW trended on Twitter for several hours once news broke out that her release has been delayed due to procedural issues.

    Some TV analysts speculated whether the delay in her release was related to a fear that she may address the Azadi March.

  • Cracks emerge among PML-N ranks as ‘leadership disobeys Nawaz’

    Cracks emerge among PML-N ranks as ‘leadership disobeys Nawaz’

    Amid reports of a rift between opposition parties as the Azadi March of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) to Islamabad continues, cracks are also emerging among ranks of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), The Current has learnt.

    According to sources, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s orders were disobeyed by the Punjab leadership of his party on Wednesday as 70,000 people were not mobilised to welcome Fazl’s caravan in Lahore.

    The Current reached out to several PML-N leaders to confirm or deny what rumour had and on the condition of anonymity, one of them rejected the same.

    “Both MNAs and MPAs of the PML-N were in Lahore to receive Maulana’s caravan and they did. We even distributed food among his buses, which were over a thousand in number,” the PML-N leader added.

    “There were six different points in Lahore where our party members gathered to welcome and facilitate Maulana Fazl. Our workers gathered to welcome the caravan hours before its arrival.”

    When asked why the PML-N leadership was nowhere to be seen at the Lahore stage of the Azadi March as JUI-F leaders addressed a mammoth gathering, the PML-N leader said they were asked to come on stage at the last minute and that too by a junior party worker.

    “Not Maulana or any other JUI-F leader invited us on stage and we told them that we will come in an hour. However, later we were told that the caravan will not stop for us.”

    The PML-N leader also said that they are on their way from Lahore to Islamabad with a huge crowd and plan on holding a small rally in the federal capital even though their leadership has been told by the JUI-F that the Azadi March will commence tomorrow.

    When The Current reached out to other PML-N leaders for confirmation of the postponement, former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq said, “Akram Durrani Sahib called me today and said that Maulana will address Azadi March at 2 pm tomorrow after Friday prayers in Islamabad.”