ISLAMABAD: The opposition in the Senate on Thursday staged a walkout to protest the denial of “appropriate medical facilities” to Nawaz Sharif.

The former premier, who is serving a seven-year term over Al-Azizia corruption case in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, has been suffering from multiple health problems. Over the past few days, his family and leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have been voicing their concern over his health and medical treatment.

“Something had gone terribly wrong during Nawaz Sharif’s bypass surgery in the United Kingdom. His doctor was helpless to stop the bleeding,” recalled Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. “Even though the bleeding stopped after another specialist doctor was called in, the problem still persisted,” he added.

He said Mr Sharif also suffers from diabetes, blood pressure and kidney stones and all five medical boards said he required constant supervision.

He also mentioned his leader’s recent cardiac problems. “Just last week he experienced angina pain five times.”

Foreign minister asked to explain ‘private diplomacy’

He regretted that Mr Sharif was taken to hospitals where cardiac facilities were unavailable.

“This is against human norms and unacceptable,” he said and announced a walkout over this matter following which the opposition members left the Senate.

In the absence of the opposition, the House was informed by Senator Faisal Javed of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) that Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the Punjab government to give the thrice-elected prime minister a choice of hospitals and doctors of his liking.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said there would be no negligence in provision of health facilities to Mr Sharif. “We don’t have any personal animosity against him. He is facing corruption cases which have nothing to do with the present government,” he said.

He proposed the formation of a House committee to check whether any of the recommendations suggested by the medical board pertaining to Mr Sharif were being overlooked.

During the Senate proceedings former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani asked Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to come to the house and explain ‘private diplomacy’.

He said the term had first been used by the US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino who said the US played a role in de-escalating recent tensions between Pakistan and India which was later employed by the foreign minister.

Mr Rabbani said this appeared to be an addition to the dictionary after “track-II diplomacy” and “backchannel diplomacy”, and sought to know what Pakistan and India had been told under the “private diplomacy initiative” and whether Pakistan had made any commitment.

He regretted that Mr Qureshi did not come to the House to brief them about the prevailing situation and make a policy statement. “This is a matter of concern,” he said.

The opposition members also protested over an advice given by the Attorney General to a Senate panel to not take up the issue of the dismissal of 65 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees warning the panel it would amount to contempt of court.

The issue of dismissals was raised by Mushahidullah Khan of PML-N who said the plea taken by the Attorney General is that they had been dismissed in line with the orders of the Apex Court, but Mr Khan claimed it wasn’t so.

Mr Rabbani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said the language used against parliament by the Attorney General was highly objectionable.

He wondered aloud if the parliament could be charged with contempt of court.

He also said that the Supreme Court could not change the intent of legislation and cited examples when according to him former chief justice Saqib Nisar transgressed jurisdiction of the legislature and the executive.

The House also unanimously passed a resolution slamming the ban imposed on Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in India-held Kashmir, demanding the ban be removed; release its activists and de-freezing its confiscated assets. The resolution was moved by JI Chief Senator Sirajul Haq.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019