ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to ailing Nawaz Sharif by suspending his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference. The court allowed the bail to the former prime minister for eight weeks and asked him to seek further extension from the Punjab government.

“Until the decision of the provincial government on the application, he shall continue to remain on bail,” said the order issued by an IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

“However, if petitioner [Nawaz Sharif] does not approach the provincial government within the period mentioned herein above, this order shall cease to have effect on lapse of period of eight weeks and the bail granted shall stand revoked/cancelled,” it said.

The court granted the bail against Rs4 million surety bonds. “He [Mr Sharif] before the expiry of period of 08 weeks may approach the Government of Punjab under Section 401 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1898,” the court said.

Appearing before IHC bench, Punjab CM says former premier is being provided excellent treatment in Services Hospital

Unlike a similar order issued by the Supreme Court in which Mr Sharif was given bail for six weeks on medical grounds, the IHC verdict did not impose any foreign travel ban on the former premier.

During the hearing, Advocate Khawaja Haris, the lead counsel for Mr Sharif, informed the court that medical reports of his client had been shared with the doctors based in the United States and the United Kingdom. He said Mr Sharif was in a critical condition and the doctors had so far failed to diagnose the reasons for his extremely low platelet count.

He said that since there was a risk of multi-organ failure, Mr Sharif was required to be kept in a multidisciplinary medical facility where he was looked after round-the-clock by specialists. “It should be the sole prerogative of the patient to get the medical treatment of his choice anywhere,” he added.

Dr Adnan, personal physician of Mr Sharif, informed the court that the situation of the former prime minister was critical and very serious. “He [Mr Sharif] is not able to be moved for conducting medical tests; I’ve never seen him in such a critical condition for over two decades and I fear that we may lose him,” he said.

Dr Adnan said the medical board had yet to ascertain the causes of low platelet count and “he is really fighting the battle for his life”.

Saleem Shahzad Cheema, medical superintendent of the Services Hospital, Lahore, informed the court that when they gave Mr Sharif medicine to increase his platelets, it reached 48,000, but then he suffered cardiac arrest and, as a result, he was given medicine to calm his blood pressure and heart down which resulted in low platelet count again.

He said that besides having low platelets and heart problems, Mr Sharif was also a chronic patient of sugar, hypertension and kidney disease.

Punjab CM’s appearance

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar appeared before the IHC bench. When he entered the court premises, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supporters started chanting slogans in favour of the former premier.

When the court asked him about the implementation of relevant sections of the CrPC and prison rules which empower the provincial government to remit or suspend the sentence of prisoners on medical grounds, Mr Buzdar said his government was finalising legislation for upgrading jail facilities and enhancing prisoners’ rights.

The chief minister said that by profession he was a lawyer and after assuming office last year he had visited eight prisons across the province and ordered 60-day remission for inmates.

He said the Punjab government had admitted Mr Sharif to the Services Hospital where he was being provided excellent medical treatment. He claimed that despite having been released on bail on Oct 27, the former prime minister had been in the same hospital which meant that he was satisfied with the treatment arranged for him by the provincial government.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2019