ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Monday rejected an application by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to be released on bail on medical grounds and have a prison sentence handed down for corrupt practices involving the setting up of a steel mill suspended.
Sharif is currently serving a seven-year sentence for failing to identify the source of income that allowed him to establish Al-Azizia Steel Mills in Saudi Arabia in 2001 when he lived in political exile. The sentence was announced in December last year. Sharif claims the case is politically motivated and has appealed it.
“We find the instant petition [for Nawaz Sharif’s bail] to be without merit and the same is accordingly dismissed,” the Islamabad High Court said in its detailed order.
Sharif, a three-time prime minister, filed an application seeking bail on medical grounds after developing cardiac issues while serving his term at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail last month. He was subsequently moved to Jinnah Hospital in Lahore.
In court on Monday, Sharif’s counsel argued that he had “severe heart disease as well as chronic kidney disease” and would not have access to 24-hour monitoring and timely medication if he remained in jail.
The court rejected the application saying Nawaz’s condition could not be considered “extraordinary” or “extreme.”
Several leaders and supporters of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party were present in the courtroom when the judges announced the verdict.
“We are upset about the decision,” Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a senior leader of Sharif’s party, said to reporters outside the court. “Five medical boards had recommended immediate medical treatment for Nawaz.”
He added that the party respected the court’s decision but would seek additional legal avenues.
“We will take all available legal routes against the decision and, because it is our right, we will also file an appeal,” former defense minister and Sharif aide Khawaja Asif said. “We are hopeful that justice will be served.”
Rasul Bakhsh Rais, an academic and political analyst, called the court’s verdict a “setback for the Sharif family” and said prolonged incarceration could adversely affect the politics and reputation of Nawaz Sharif’s party.
