Army, Punjab doctors also to examine Sharjeel

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday constituted a new medical board to examine the health of former minister Sharjeel Inam Memon’s and the need for his neurosurgery as recommended by the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC)’s neurosurgeon. The former minister is facing Rs5.76 billion corruption case before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Hearing an application about shifting of former information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon to JPMC from central prison without court orders, the Supreme Court’s three member bench headed by Justice Mian Saqib Nisar constituted a new medical board comprising neurosurgeons from Punjab, Pakistan Army and the Aga Khan Hospital to examine the recommendation of the JMPC neurosurgeon and submit report within 15 days.

The court also inquired from the IG Prisons about the number of prisoners hospitalized outside the prisons. The IG Prisons Nusrat Mangan submitted that prisoners are only hospitalized on the recommendations of the hospital doctors and that is intimated to the trial court and the home department under the prison rules. The JPMC’s executive director Seemi Jamali submitted the report of neurosurgeon who recommended neurosurgery of Sharjeel Inam Memon.

The court asked why Sharjeel's surgery was not conducted despite hospitalization for three months. The court observed that the doctors who recommended surgery will not be spared if their reports are found to be false, adding doctors should not become party while giving their opinions. Sharjeel's counsel Rasheed A Razvi submitted that his client should be provided medical treatment in accordance with the recommendations of the medical board and doctors. He submitted that Sharjeel is a patient and was suffering from various ailments prior to his arrest and involvement in NAB cases. The court observed that the Supreme Court has the power to transfer the trial proceedings of accountability case from one province to other province in the interest of the justice.