The High Court of Islamabad (IHC) on Tuesday suspended the sentence of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for medical reasons for eight weeks in the case of Al Azizia.
The president of PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif, had presented a statement of bail by his brother Nawaz, who is being treated at the Lahore Services Hospital. The verdict had been reserved for a short period before being announced on Tuesday afternoon.
The court, in its order, said that two bail bonds of Rs2 million each must be presented to the court to guarantee the release of Nawaz. The court also announced that for an extension of the bond, the Punjab government should be approached.
Last week, Nawaz secured a bail for medical reasons in the ongoing case of Chaudhry Sugar Mills of Lahore High Court.
A two-member bank, consisting of Judge Aamir Farooq and Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, heard the appeal today.
Four options
Before the verdict was reserved, Judge Farooq had asked Nawaz's lawyer, Khawaja Haris, if the president could grant Nawaz amnesty before the declaration of bail was announced.
To this, Haris replied: "You can invoke your presidential powers at any time. However, usually, all forums are addressed first."
The court had observed that NAB seemed to be the only party with a clear stance on the matter and that the federal and provincial government refrained from taking a stand.
"Under what condition should we grant bail?" Judge Farooq had asked Haris.
"In whatever condition I can give Nawaz Sharif the chance to recover," he had responded.
The court then presented Nawaz's lawyer with four options:
- Transmit the matter to the executive.
- To suspend the sentence according to the deadline
recommended by NAB - Approve the petitioner's request.
- Reject the request
In response, Haris had said it would not be advisable to refer the matter to a government that is "totally against the Sharifs."
Given this, Judge Kiyani had said: "The prime minister and the prime minister do not belong to a party. They belong to the whole country and the province."
Haris had pointed out that the attorney general had even opposed the provisional bond granted to Nawaz.
"We have gone to court. Kindly decide the matter according to the law," the lawyer had requested.
Judge Kiyani had said that if the government decides on the matter "it will not be considered an agreement."
The lawyer had reiterated the request that the court decide the matter. "We will respect the decision," he had said.
Subsequently, the court had reserved the verdict.
& # 39; Nawaz still unstable & # 39;
Earlier during the hearing, the court had asked the doctors, who are part of the medical board that oversees Nawaz's treatment, if Nawaz could recover without staying in the hospital. The doctors responded negatively and said that the supreme PML-N required medical supervision at all times.
The board had informed the court that Nawaz had received 80 injections so that his platelet count, which reportedly had fallen to dangerous levels, was normal. The doctors had said that before, the platelets injected into Nawaz's body would be destroyed, but they added that the count was no longer hesitating.
When asked if Nawaz had suffered a heart attack during his medical treatment, the doctors responded affirmatively.
Nawaz's personal doctor, Dr. Adnan Khan, who had reached the court before the hearing began, had said that so far, the board was unable to discover the reason behind the destruction of platelets in the ex's body. Prime Minister. He had told the court that Dr. Raza Shamsi had been summoned from Karachi to treat Nawaz.
"He (Nawaz) is still unstable," said Dr. Khan. "I've never seen him in such an alarming condition." He said the former prime minister's blood pressure had also skyrocketed after Monday night's dinner.
Punjab Prime Minister Usman Buzdar, who appeared before the court today, assured the bank that the provincial government was providing the best medical care to the former prime minister. He had told the bank that the provincial government was working to carry out prison reforms.
& # 39; I am not satisfied with the treatment of Nawaz & # 39;
Nawaz's lawyer, Khawaja Haris, during his arguments had expressed dissatisfaction with his client's medical care so far.
"So far we are not satisfied with the treatment of the medical board. The board itself says in its report that it cannot administer [Nawaz’s treatment].
"The hospital of services does not have machinery to drive [medical] Nawaz Sharif tests have to be taken to different places for their tests to take place. "
Haris had explained that Nawaz's body could not generate platelets naturally and that he was given steroids and medications to increase platelet count. However, treatment to increase platelet count posed an increased risk of heart attack.
The lawyer had clarified that while his client did not doubt the intention or ability of the doctors appointed for the treatment, the medical board itself was not satisfied with Nawaz's reports. He had insisted that the former prime minister should be allowed to get treatment from the doctors of his choice.
"Why doesn't NAB file a request for suspension of sentence?" Haris had asked. "If Nawaz Sharif's condition improves, he can serve his sentence again."
The prosecutor of the National Office of Accountability (NAB), during his arguments, had said that the anti-corruption control body would not oppose the bond for humanitarian reasons.
"I will not talk about merit, Nawaz Sharif's condition is serious," he had said.
"If we grant a bond, how long should it be?" Judge Farooq had asked the NAB prosecutor what the latter had said that the court can decide according to a Supreme Court verdict that granted a six-week bond to seek medical treatment in the country.
PML-N leaders, including Ahsan Iqbal, Pervez Rashid and Raja Zafarul Haq, and the NAB legal team also arrived in the courtroom before the hearing.
& # 39; The government has the authority to decide on such matter & # 39;
Last week, Shehbaz had appealed to the IHC to grant bail to Nawaz in the case of Al Azizia, in which the latter is sentenced to seven years in prison, for medical reasons. A two-member bank of the IHC had heard the bail request on Friday and after questioning Dr. Saleem Cheema, Medical Superintendent of Hospital Services (MS), who is part of the medical board treating Nawaz, the court suspended the hearing until Tuesday.
On Saturday, however, Shehbaz filed another petition at IHC, asking the court to hear the bail statement due to Nawaz's "extremely critical condition." He said the statement, which was heard on Friday, did not mention that on the night of October 24, Nawaz had suffered an angina attack "as a direct result of the administration of medicine to increase his platelets."
During the course of the hearing, the President of the Supreme Court of IHC, Athar Minallah, had commented that the request for bail for medical reasons should not have been submitted to the court, since the government has the authority to decide on such matter. He also said the court will reject the petition if the government opposes the bail request.
"However, if something happens to Nawaz Sharif at this time, the responsibility will lie with NAB and the government," he said. The Interior Secretary, who was present at the court during Saturday’s hearing, urged the court to “base [its] judgment on the merits of the case. "
The superior court granted a provisional bond to Nawaz for medical reasons that expired today (October 29).
& # 39; Serious condition
The former prime minister was rushed to the Institute of Medical Sciences Services (SIMS) last week after his personal physician warned of his deterioration in health.
On October 22, hospital doctors described Nawaz's condition as "serious" despite the transfusion of three mega platelet units within a few hours of admission.
According to medical tests, the platelet count of the former prime minister "had dropped from 16,000 to a critical level of 2,000" when he was taken to the hospital on Monday night, which led medical board members to look for a "Immediate transfusion of platelets to save his life," said one of the board members.
After a three-day fight, a six-member medical board, headed by the director of the Hospital of Services, Ayaz Mahmood, on Thursday diagnosed the reason for the deterioration of Nawaz's health.
"It is acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder, in which the immune system destroys platelets," a board member told Dawn. He said the treatment was given to the former prime minister in light of his diagnosis. "We hope your condition improves in a few days," he added.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1513587/ihc-suspends-nawazs-sentence-on-medical-grounds-for-8-weeks-in-al-azizia-case