Home Latest News AGP Seeks Meeting with Nawaz Sharif’s Surgeon to Verify Medical Condition

AGP Seeks Meeting with Nawaz Sharif’s Surgeon to Verify Medical Condition

by Staff Report

File photo. Tolga Akmen—AFP

Informing Dr. Lawrence of court orders, letter requests date between Feb. 22 and March 13 to ‘verify’ health status of PMLN leader

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan on Wednesday forwarded a letter to Dr. David Lawrence, the surgeon of Nawaz Sharif, to request a date between Feb. 22 and March 13 to “verify or confirm” the medical status of the former prime minister.

Submitted via the High Commission of Pakistan in London, the letter—the fourth issued by the AGP Office in the past two months—is part of ongoing efforts by the incumbent government to either force Sharif to return to Pakistan or implicate his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, for failing to ensure his return. The elder Sharif has been in the U.K. since November 2019, when he was granted “one time” permission to leave the Pakistan to seek medical treatment abroad.

The latest letter informs Dr. Lawrence of the terms of the undertaking that allowed the PMLN leader to leave Pakistan, noting he had been directed to return after doctors said he was once again fit to travel. It states that Sharif was granted permission to leave based on “periodical medical reports,” signed by Dr. Lawrence, which were submitted to the Lahore High Court.

Admitting that the former prime minister was in critical condition when he was allowed to leave Pakistan, the AGP’s letter notes that the PMLN leader’s condition “improved significantly” after he reached London. It also notes that Sharif had yet to be hospitalized since arriving in London, adding that his “political, social and other recreational activities” have continued unabated, which indicates he is “fit to travel back to Pakistan.”

This belief, stresses the letter, has been “reaffirmed by recent public statements made by his close relatives and associates.” It states that the AGP Office is acting on the instructions of the federal government, which has sought the filing of “abuse of process and contempt of court” proceedings against the former premier.

Referring to the special medical board formed by the Punjab government to examine Sharif’s health status, the letter says that the documents submitted last month “do not provide any information” that allows medical professionals to determine the former prime minister’s current condition. It said that since Sharif was “primarily” under the care of Dr. Lawrence, Pakistani doctors wanted to meet him and verify the former premier’s health status.

“In the light of the above and for enforcement of the undertakings and the order of the court, the doctor(s), as nominated by the government, intend to meet you to verify/confirm about the health condition of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif,” read the letter. “You are, therefore, requested to intimate and confirm to the High Commission of Pakistan at London or the Office of the Attorney-General for Pakistan, the date, time and venue when the doctor(s) can meet you and examine the medical record etc, of Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif. This meeting/examination of the medical records may be scheduled for a date of your convenience between Feb. 22 to March 13, 2022. The intimation may be made four days before the desired date fixed by you,” it added.

On Jan. 24, the AGP had written a letter to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif warning that contempt proceedings could be initiated if he failed to submit medical reports of his elder brother within 10 days. Earlier, the AGP Office had twice sent letters to the Punjab home secretary to establish an independent medical board to examine the health status of the former prime minister and determine if he were fit to return to Pakistan.

Related Articles

Leave a Comment