ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The latest pictures showing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif strolling in London streets have again ignited a debate in the country over the legitimacy of medical reports he submitted at the time of leaving the country in November with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) accusing him of submitting fake reports and the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) demanding Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation, if he was “cheated” on the issue.

Hours after a press conference by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar in Lahore and a media talk in Islamabad by Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry in Islamabad, the PML-N’s secretary general Ahsan Iqbal and information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb also held separate news conferences in the two cities, criticising the government for doing politics on the issue of Mr Sharif’s health.

Speaking at the news conference in Lahore, Mr Iqbal asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign if he was ‘cheated’ on the issue of Mr Sharif’s departure for London, saying it was the federal cabinet which had allowed Mr Sharif to leave for abroad on the recommendations of the Punjab government’s medical board.

“Now if Imran Khan thinks that he is cheated then he along with his adviser on health and the Punjab health minister (Dr Yasmin Rashid) should resign,” said the PML-N leader.

Party says issue of Nawaz’s health being raised to distract attention from govt’s poor performance

Mr Iqbal said that “Imran Khan and company” had in the past done politics on the health of Kulsoom Nawaz, and later they had to regret.

The PML-N leader declared that Nawaz Sharif would return to the country on his doctors’ report, adding: “when he returns, it will be more agonising for the PTI government”.

Mr Iqbal said the Punjab health minister had herself monitored the health of Mr Sharif and Imran Khan’s cabinet had declared that there was a threat to his life if he was not allowed to have his treatment abroad.

“Mr Sharif’s medical reports have been submitted here and in London. Doctors do not give doctored reports,” he said.

Mr Iqbal said Dr Faisal Sultan who was now adviser to the premier could be asked about the health of Mr Sharif.

“Dr Sultan had confirmed about critical condition of Mr Sharif,” he said.

Responding to a question about efforts being made by the government to bring back Mr Sharif from London, Mr Iqbal said the PTI had earlier tried to bring back former finance minister Ishaq Dar through Interpol but got itself exposed.

He called Shahzad Akbar a “super NAB chairman”.

“Only to hide its failures on all fronts, especially economy and foreign policy, the PTI government, its ministers and advisers have started talking on non-issues like the health of Nawaz Sharif,” he said and challenged Imran Khan to have a debate with him over his government’s “worst performance” in two-years.

Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Marriyum Aurangzeb said the PTI government was desperately trying to shift focus away from its “deplorable” two-year performance with a new onslaught against PML-N supremo because Imran Khan’s political existence had no roots and he could not survive without using Mr Sharif’s name.

Ms Aurangzeb alleged that Imran Khan had to use Mr Sharif’s ’s name to come into power and could not stay in power for a single day without demonizing the PML-N supremo because the “selected prime minister” could not even lay a brick of development work as opposed to billions worth of projects completed by Mr Sharif.

Slamming the statements regarding setting an example by bringing Mr Sharif back to Pakistan through legal action, she said the PTI government should start by arresting, investigating and prosecuting Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid, the board of government doctors and the Punjab government that clearly stated that Mr Sharif’s treatment was not possible in Pakistan.

She said Mr Sharif had gone abroad through a legal processes. She said Imran Khan should set an example by bringing back the money launderers and “public sugar money looters” who were “helped flee the country on a chartered plane”.

Ms Aurangzeb said this new “wave of hoopla” against Mr Sharif was because the “Imran-led mafia government” knew it had destroyed every sector of Pakistan -- its economy, industry and business -- and jeopardised national defence and security.

She said the prime minister was “shamelessly” inaugurating projects initiated by Mr Sharif and then alleging corruption in the same projects.

“Why hasn’t he shut down any of these projects, if they were marred by corruption?” she questioned.

She said “the NAB-Niazi alliance” was not just called out and criticised by the opposition but the Supreme Court and international human rights bodies had also slammed it as an instrument of political engineering and persecution of the opposition.

Responding to the government’s allegations that the opposition had tried to bargain with it at the time of the passage of FATF-related laws, she claimed it was the joint opposition and the PML-N that had included the money laundering clause in the legislation.

She challenged Imran Khan to file a case in the court and name those who had demanded a deal. She said: “The selected PM neither has power nor a mandate to give anyone any NRO.”

A Punjab government- constituted medical board headed by Services Institute of Medical Sciences Principal Prof Dr Mahmood Ayaz had recommended in November 2019 treatment of Mr Sharif abroad keeping in view complications of his disease.

The doctors’ panel had come to a unanimous decision that since the complete genetic test facility was not available in Pakistan, “the patient requires treatment abroad.”

Even when PM Khan had cast a doubt on the medical reports of Mr Sharif following his departure for London, Dr Yasmin Rashid had insisted that the medical reports of the Punjab government’s board were “genuine” and “not doctored.”

Despite efforts, Dr Rashid could not be contacted to know whether she still stands by her statement after the allegations levelled by the members of the federal cabinet.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2020