ISLAMABAD: In an unfolding politico-legal drama, the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) on Wednesday wrote to Nawaz Sharif’s cardiothoracic consultant in London, seeking an appointment for a team of doctors to verify the former premier’s medical records.

The AGP office requested consultant cardiothoracic surgeon David R. Lawrence to intimate and confirm a date, time and venue so that doctors assigned by the government could meet him and examine the medical record.

This is the fourth letter issued by the AGP office in recent weeks in its ongoing efforts for the repatriation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader from the UK, where he has been staying since November 2019.

Seeking an appointment between Feb 22 and March 13, the fresh letter requested that the meeting or examination of the medical record so arranged be scheduled at a date of his convenience, and has asked that the government receive the intimation at least four days prior to that date.

Dr Lawrence requested to schedule team’s visit between Feb 22 and March 13

Earlier, on January 24, the AGP in his letter to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had issued a stern warning that contempt proceedings would be filed against him if he failed to provide medical reports of his elder brother within 10 days. Also, the AGP office had twice sent letters to Punjab Home Secretary Zafar Nasrullah Khan pertaining to the medical record and repatriation of the ex-PM.

The fresh letter to Dr Lawrence emphasised that the foregoing exercise was being conducted in the light of the undertakings given by the Sharif brothers and the Lahore High Court (LHC) order passed on Nov 16, 2019 to grant one-time permission to Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad as an ‘interim arrangement for four weeks’. The letter mentioned that he was supposed to return to Pakistan with doctors’ permission that he was fit to travel back.

The letter also reminded him that the Punjab government on Jan 14, 2022 constituted a special medical board and on Jan 17 examined the documents issued by him before concluding in its 29-page document that they did not provide any information about Mr Nawaz’s current clinical evaluation, blood reports, imaging results and any interventional procedures done so far. In the light of available information, the medical board also expressed the opinion that it was not in a position to render any structured advice or a considered opinion about his current physical condition and ability to travel to the competent authority.

While referring to the three-page document, signed by Dr Fayaz Shawl and submitted on Jan 28 before the LHC, the board pointed out that this was not a medical report, but an evaluation report that doesn’t encourage the board to make any conclusive opinion about Mr Nawaz’s current physical condition and ability to travel.

The AGP office in its letter stated it appeared that Mr Nawaz was primarily under the care of Dr Lawrence, while Dr Shawl wrote his medical evaluation during or after his London trip. “All clinical tests, lab reports, interventional procedures, if any, physical examinations etc must have been conducted in the United Kingdom,” the letter added.

The letter stated the doctors as nominated by the government intended to meet the consultant to verify the health condition of the ex-premier for the enforcement of the undertakings given by the Sharifs and the LHC order.

As observed by the medical board, the doctors team would need to examine all the relevant medical record, including the current evaluation, hematology/blood reports, imaging results and any interventional procedures done so far, the letter explained.

Without examination of all the medical reports etc, the doctors could not form any medical opinion nor verify or confirm about the health status of Mr Nawaz and his ability to travel back to Pakistan, the AGP office reiterated.

The LHC order, Dr Shawl’s letter and medical board reports of Jan 17 and Feb 7 were annexed with the fresh letter sent to Dr Lawrence.

A separate letter has also been sent to the Secretary of Foreign Affairs with a request to make arrangements so that the letter is handed over to the consultant surgeon at the earliest, besides the High Commission may nominate a focal person to coordinate meeting and examination of the medical record.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2022