PTI, Opp differ on conditions for Nawaz Sharif’s treatment

LAHORE:The PTI leadership has claimed that any condition attached to the exit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif from the country is in accordance with the law that cannot be changed for a convict.

“Who will guarantee about the return of Nawaz Sharif once he leaves the country, already his sons and relative Ishaq Dar are absconders, surety has to be given,” said Federal Minister Faisal Vawda while talking to The News regarding the government’s decision to attach conditions to the visit of Nawaz Sharif abroad. This is noteworthy that Nawaz Sharif has recently got bail in two cases and he is expected to leave the country for treatment very soon. Vawda, who is one of the Federal Cabinet members who alongwith Ali Amin Gandapur and Ali Zaidi, had opposed the idea of sending Nawaz Sharif out of country without attaching conditions, stating that there had been precedents that other members of Sharif family, after facing conviction from the courts in Pakistan, had not returned to the country. So, he said, it was mandatory for Nawaz to give guarantee of his return within the stipulated time.

Federal Minister Fawad Ch while expressing similar views stated that if a convict had to leave the country for treatment, he had to sign surety bonds for his return and there was nothing confronting the law in it. Leaders from the opposition parties, while expressing different views, said if the government had treated the case of Nawaz on humanitarian grounds, attaching any condition to his tour abroad was a mockery.

“There is no doubt that the government has the prerogative to seek guarantee, but as the citizen of Pakistan I believe it is just meant to irritate a patient about whom it is claimed that his case is being considered on humanitarian grounds,” said Syed Nayyar Hussein Bokhari, former Chairman Senate and Secretary General of Pakistan Peoples Party, while talking to The News.

Farooq H Naek, another former Chairman of Senate and PPP leader, while talking to The News said that once a person had been granted bail from the court, there was no question on part of a government to seek any guarantee from him. He said a court grants bail after receiving surety and once this process had been done, there was no need to repeat it and stated it shouldn’t be done.