State of health

For the last two hours, the nation has been watching the fluctuating condition of Mian Nawaz Sharif’s health. There has naturally been talk of how his medical care has been handled, especially since some government representatives seemed to have initially very openly mocked the issue and it is only now that a more serious attitude appears to have been adopted. In a series of phone calls, Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed the Punjab government to ensure everything possible is done for the three-time former prime minister. He has reportedly also said that Maryam Nawaz be facilitated in staying with her father at the hospital. Of course, such instructions should ideally not even be necessary and medical care should be provided without such prodding by the prime minister.

Nawaz Sharif’s platelet count, which was measured at 2000 on Tuesday – a dangerously low figure given that a healthy individual has many thousands more than that – went up for some hours after blood transfusion. On Wednesday and Thursday, however, it fell again. Doctors have been reluctant to state what the causes could be and a specialist has been called in from Karachi to try and diagnose the ailment. A PET scan has also been ordered along with other sophisticated tests to try and reach a conclusion. It seems the government has suddenly become aware that it could have an extremely difficult situation on its hands if Nawaz’s health continues to deteriorate. Of course, we all hope and pray that this will not be the case. But we must also ask how his health was permitted to sink to such grave levels. The fact also is that if anything were to happen, it would haunt the government – given the way things have been handled.

Quite regardless of politics and no matter who the prisoner may be, matters of humanity must prevail over all else when a medical condition is involved. We do not know if Nawaz Sharif’s conditions of detention in any way affected his health or whether there is any substance behind any other allegations. What is however imperative is that the government demonstrate both responsibility and a humane approach to the issue. We should remember that PML-N opponents had over a year ago claimed that Kulsoom Nawaz was not sick at all; she later passed away of cancer in a London hospital. Her family had always stated she was suffering from this disease. What happens next will be closely watched by all. Former president Asif Ali Zardari was also shifted to hospital on Tuesday back, and his family too has been worried about his deteriorating health. It is essential then that both political leaders are treated with care. The government appears to have recognize this – albeit, belatedly – in the case of Nawaz Sharif. This change is welcome and we hope it can ensure safety for the PML-N and PPP leaders. In the meanwhile, it would do well for government ministers and advisers to exercise some restraint when discussing the opposition leaders’ health issues.