Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday called for an inquiry into the "questionable tests" conducted by Punjab government into the health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
The federal minister in a series of tweets questioned why the former prime minister’s medical reports were not being sent from UK.
“One of the reasons why Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports are not being sent from UK could be that the tests being conducted there are different from the ones that were conducted in Pakistan, and the UK doctors are hesitant in declaring Nawaz as seriously ill,” Chaudhry said.
He added that it means that the medical tests conducted by the Punjab government were suspicious. “In these circumstances, the Punjab government should set up an inquiry which should examine the health department, laboratory and the doctors’ connivance with the Sharif family and bring the facts in front of the public.”
Responding to Chaudhry’s allegation, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Tallal Chaudhry while speaking to Geo News said the federal minister’s remarks were not against Nawaz Sharif but against the Punjab government.
“Fawad Chaudhry has declared Punjab government, Yasmin Rashid and the doctors of Services Hospital as fake,” Tallal said, adding that the minister was trying to square things with the Punjab government by bringing in Nawaz Sharif.
“Nawaz Sharif’s reports have been submitted as per the court’s orders,” he said. “Fawad Chaudhry will not become the chief minister by giving such statements.”
Chaudhry had earlier criticised Nawaz when photos of the former premier dining out with friends and family in London had surfaced on social media.
In the photos, Nawaz was spotted at a London restaurant with PML-N leaders including Ishaq Dar, Shehbaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz and others.
"Scenes of a meeting in the intensive care unit of a London hospital, the treatment for binge-eating is underway with sheer concentration, all patients are feeling better," the minster sarcastically wrote in his Twitter post.
Nawaz has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court (LHC) gave permission to the former prime minister to travel to UK for treatment.
The court had permitted to remove Nawaz's name from the Exit Control List without any conditions for a time period of four weeks. In its decision, the LHC said that in case Nawaz's health doesn't improve then the time period can be extended, adding that the government officials will be able to contact Nawaz through the Pakistani embassy.