LAHORE – Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will leave Pakistan for treatment in the UK on Tuesday with doctors administering the necessary medicines to prepare him for the journey, officials told Arab News on Sunday
An air ambulance is expected to fly him out of Pakistan on Tuesday with his entire medical team on board.
“Air ambulance will arrive on Tuesday and Nawaz Sharif will go to the UK for treatment on the same day. The team of doctors has examined Nawaz Sharif on Sunday morning and consulted how to maintain his platelets’ count to enable him for travel,” Maryam Aurangzeb, spokesperson of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said in her address to the media on Sunday.
Nawaz needs a genetic test to be conducted to ascertain the reasons for his ailment. However, since the facility is not available in Pakistan, he has to travel abroad for the purpose.
“Doctors are managing Nawaz Sharif’s medical requirements to get him medically stabilized for traveling. The process may take two days. He will be leaving for London, the UK in a fully equipped and medically-staffed Air Ambulance,” Dr. Adnan Khan, Nawaz’s personal physician told Arab News.
The process brings to an end a high octane drama that had engulfed Pakistan’s political scene in the past few weeks.
On Saturday, the Lahore High Court gave Nawaz an ok to travel, doing away with the federal government’s condition of submitting an indemnity bond of Rs7 billion.
The court also ordered the government to remove his name from the no-fly list for four weeks, without any conditions.
“The court has ordered to remove the name of Mian Nawaz Sharif from the ECL unconditionally and allowed him to go abroad for treatment for four weeks time that can be extended owing to his health condition,” Advocate Ashtar Ausaf Ali told Arab News.
“We have accepted the draft prepared by the court. Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif will sign the affidavits to satisfy the court,” he added.
The court granted permission after getting separate affidavits from Nawaz and his brother, Shehbaz Sharif, on the surety that they will return to the country after treatment.
“Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif have given an undertaking so we are giving permission to Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for treatment. The permission is for four weeks that can be extended subject to the (medical) condition,” Mr. Justice Ali Baqir Najfi, head of the bench, said in court.
The petition was filed by PML-N president Shehbaz, on Thursday, seeking the removal of Nawaz’s name from the no-fly list.
On Friday, the court accepted the petition for the hearing rejecting the federal government’s objection and deferring the matter until Saturday.
Former Deputy Speaker and PML-N leader, Rana Mashood while talking to the Arab News said: “The court has nullified the unconstitutional condition of furnishing of the bond by the government. Nawaz Sharif will certainly come back as they are innocent that would be proved in the courts.”
The three-time former prime minister, Nawaz, has been serving a sentence on corruption charges, but had been granted bail on “health grounds.”