PM wants best treatment for Nawaz: Firdous

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Friday Prime Minister Imran Khan was continuously getting updated on the health condition of Nawaz Sharif and he had reiterated his resolve to ensure best healthcare facilities for him.

Addressing a press conference along with Adviser for Commerce Razaq Dawood, she said the Prime Minister had sent an expert in medical profession Dr Faisal to enquire after the health of Sharif.

Dr Faisal — who heads the Shaukat Khanum cancer hospital — consulted with private and government doctors who were treating Sharif. She said the Prime Minister also said politics should not be given preference over health.

“Our foremost priority is the health of Nawaz Sharif. Politics is the second priority and health is the first priority and all practical steps will be taken for it,” she said, adding: “Opposition is doing politics on Sharif’s health.”

The special assistant said it was the decision of the court to grant bail to Sharif on health grounds, adding Prime Minister Khan had personally taken practical steps to provide medical facilities to Sharif on humanitarian grounds. The government would continue its goodwill gesture for Sharif’s health, she added.

Dr Awan further said the biggest credit of Khan’s government was his legal reforms agenda and freeing courts from the influence of powerful people. She said the matter of bail of PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari would be decided by the courts. The special assistant said the world was recognising the roadmap of Pakistan’s economic progress. World Bank and other international organisations were appreciating the measures taken by Prime Minister Khan for the growth of economy, she added.

She said Pakistan’s World Bank ranking for “ease of doing business” improved due to the steps of the government, adding the positive effects of reforms were being reflected in the improvement of the country’s economy. “The Prime Minister is determined to take further steps for ‘ease of doing business’, wealth creation, industrialisation and promotion of small and medium enterprises,” she said. “Unnecessary interventions and regulations are being curtailed to scale up the ease of doing business and the industries would interact with the government institutions through a one window operation,” she added.

Dr Firdous said an inspector-less regime would be introduced through automation and the role of inspectors would be removed to facilitate businesses and industries, adding the Prime Minister has directed that special economic zones should be revitalised to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).