IHC, LHC seek Nawaz fresh medical report on his bail plea

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday sought fresh medical report of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Friday (today) on a petition seeking suspension of his imprisonment sentence on medical grounds.

The bench also sought reply from chief secretary Punjab, secretary home department, services hospital’s MS and medical board members on above petition filed by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s President Shahbaz Sharif.

A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani conducted hearing on petition moved by PML-N’s president along with the objections raised by the Registrar office.

To a query of Justice Kiyani, Nawaz lawyer Khawaja Haris said that his client was still in Services Hospital, Lahore, due to his ailment. He said that doctors had been summoned from Karachi to examine the health condition of former prime minister. He pleaded that doctors could not diagnose the disease of Nawaz Sharif so far.

Earlier, Justice Farooq asked that whether the former prime minister able to put his signatures on the plea to which Haris said that the petition was filed by a brother of the accused. The lawyer adopted the stance that it was not necessary for the plea to be signed by his client.

The court, however, removed the objections of registrar office and ordered it to fix it for hearing on Friday (today). The court directed all the respondents to submit reply by Friday and adjourned hearing of the case. It may be mentioned here that Nawaz Sharif was facing imprisonment sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference. The accused had already challenged his sentence to the IHC; however, a fresh bail plea on medical grounds had also been moved. Meanwhile, a division bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday sought reports from a medical board formed for ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on a bail petition moved by his brother Shahbaz Sharif.

The court asked the advocate general to furnish a report on behalf of the medical board conducting treatment of Nawaz Sharif at the Services Hospital. A bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi was hearing a petition filed by Shahbaz Sharif seeking release of his elder brother on bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case on humanitarian grounds.

At the outset of the hearing, the court questioned why Nawaz Sharif did not file the bail petition in his own capacity?