Shahbaz Sharif tested at cancer hospital, sent back to jail

LAHORE: PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif was sent back to Kot Lakhpat Jail on Thursday after he underwent medical tests at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Lahore (INMOL).

According to APP, the Opposition leader today underwent a positron emission tomography (PET) scan and other medical tests. His personal physicians were also present in the hospital.

It is pertinent to mention here that a special medical board headed by the executive director of the Punjab Institute of Neurosciences (PINS) is currently conducting his treatment on a court order.

The PML-N leader is a cancer survivor as he was diagnosed with a rare Adenocarcionoid cancer in the appendix.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Shahbaz Sharif last year in a money laundering and assets beyond means case.

Shahbaz tells court he is 'not feeling well'

The development comes a day after Shahbaz appeared at a court hearing during which he requested early leave, saying he does not feel well. The permission, however, was not granted as the court said that if he had been on bail then it would have been a separate issue.

"Since you are in judicial custody, this facility can not be granted as it is a legal requirement to record statements of the witnesses in your presence," it added.

When Shahbaz's counsel submitted that his client's presence was not necessary as witnesses present in the court were not related to his client, the court questioned if 10 accused adopt the same stance then should they be allowed to leave.

The hearing was held in the Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.

The court had indicted 10 accused including Shahbaz in the case, with NAB alleging in the reference that Shehbaz, when he was the chief minister of Punjab, misused his authority by unlawfully assuming powers of Board of Directors of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC).

It alleged he in connivance with his co-suspects awarded a contract to an ineligible proxy firm that resulted in the failure of the Ashiana housing scheme, causing a major loss to the public exchequer and depriving 61,000 applicants of houses.