Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif To Fly To UK For Treatment, Govt Gives Nod

Pakistan's ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has heeded doctors' advice and given in to his family's request to fly to London for the treatment of his diseases, his daughter Maryam Nawaz said on Friday. The Pakistan government has decided to let Sharif go abroad for treatment due to his critical medical conditions. Maryam, 46, said she would not accompany her father as her name was still on the Exit Control List (ECL). "Shehbaz Sharif is looking after all the boarding and lodging of the former premier. After losing my mother last year, my father is my everything now," Maryam said.

Sharif's wife Kulsoom died of throat cancer in London last year.

Earlier, the court granted Nawaz bail for eight weeks on medical grounds. The Islamabad High Court granted him bail in Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case. The bail plea was filed by PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif for his brother Nawaz. 

According to reports, the court, while announcing the judgement, said that Rs 2 million each will have to be submitted to the court to secure Nawaz's release.

Shraif has been lodged in jail after an accountability court had sentenced Sharif on December 24, 2018 to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif is ‘fighting for life’ after a drastic drop in his blood platelet count, a media report quoted his personal doctor as saying on Tuesday, days after Pakistan’s former prime minster was rushed from prison to a hospital.

Sharif, 69, was admitted to the Services Hospital on Monday night from the anti-graft body’s custody after his platelets dropped to a critical low level of 2,000.

Sharif’s personal  physician Dr Adnan Khan said in a series of tweets that “Former PM #NawazSharif, critically unwell, is fighting the battle for his health & life. Thrombocytopenia (Low Platelet Count) & NSTEMI (Heart Attack) is further complicated by deteriorating Kidney functions. Poor Blood Sugar & Blood Pressure control is taking its toll,” Geo News reported.

The three-time prime minister also suffered angina attack while undergoing treatment. Angina is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart.

Khan said that the poor blood sugar and blood pressure had also taken a toll on the former premier’s health, the report said.