Tolga Akmen—AFP
The ousted prime minister was admitted to hospital since Monday and has been diagnosed with an immunodeficiency disorder
The Islamabad High Court on Saturday approved until Tuesday interim bail, on medical grounds, for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia case.
On Friday, the Lahore High Court had granted Sharif bail on medical grounds in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Having now secured bail in both cases, Sharif is provisionally free, allowing his family to seek medical care for him in light of his ongoing health concerns.
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Shahbaz Sharif had approached the IHC to request that the court consider the bail plea today rather than on Tuesday, as per the court’s instructions.
During the proceedings, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that if the government did not agree with the bail plea, the court would dismiss it, adding that if the denial of bail resulted in Sharif’s health worsening further, it would be the responsibility of the government, and not the court. At the government’s refusal to accept full responsibility for Sharif’s health, the judge remarked that the hesitance suggested the matter was indeed serious and the court would not take any responsibility for it.
Sharif was admitted to hospital on Monday while in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau. Subsequent medical testing showed that he had a severely low platelet count, which was hampering his body’s ability to clot blood and could be fatal if left untreated.
Several rounds of transfusions, which failed to halt repeated drops in Sharif’s platelet count, resulted in doctors on Thursday diagnosing Sharif as suffering from acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura. The disorder causes the immune system to destroy platelets. PMLN officials have said they hope the diagnosis and targeted treatment will enable Sharif to recover within a few days.