No NRO for Nawaz, will have to face cases when he recovers: PM Imran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran said on Friday that Nawaz Sharif would have to face  the cases against him, clarifying that he had not been given an NRO. 

"We haven't given Nawaz any NRO," he was quoted as saying. "Taking Nawaz's name off the Exit Control List (ECL) is not giving him NRO," he added.

Prime Minister Imran said that an NRO would have been given to Nawaz if the government stopped pursuing cases against him. He said that when  Nawaz recovers, he will have to face the cases against him. 

The prime minister said that Nawaz was actually ill and he sympathised with him. He asked his ministers and party representatives not to make fun of the former prime minister's health.

READ MORE:Govt grants Nawaz permission to seek treatment abroad

"We will not do politics on Nawaz's health," said Prime Minister Imran. "The institutions are independent. Nawaz's name was put on the ECL because NAB suggested it and on NAB's advice, it will be taken out from there," he added.

The prime minister said that opposition should agree to a parliamentary or judicial commission.

"The government is ready for the investigation," he said. "We had only demanded investigation into four constituencies. Our government is ready to investigate all constituencies," he added.

In a media talk, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Naeem ul Haque said that the government had seen Nawaz's reports. He said that the former prime minister was ill and the decision has been taken in light of it.

"It is the right of every Pakistani to have themselves treated as they see fit," he said. "The government has no reservations over Nawaz seeking treatment abroad."

Naeem said that it was up to the courts to decide how much time will be given to Nawaz to seek medical treatment.

"The court will decide as to how many times Nawaz can go abroad," he said. "It is also up to the court to decide on how long Nawaz can stay abroad for medical treatment."