Shahid Khaqan Abbasi leaves for Washington

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and secretary general of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi left for Washington by a private airlines flight on Sunday evening to visit his hospitalised sister and brother-in-law in Pennsylvania, USA.

The family sources told The News that his brother-in-law Jehanzaib Abbasi’s health condition was critical and he was on ventilator for the past five weeks but with slight improvement, while his sister Afshan Abbasi is out of danger, though she is still in hospital. The couple was tested coronavirus positive. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was placed by the government on the Exit Control List (ECL) and his lawyer moved the authorities to grant him permission to go to visit his family abroad. The matter was placed before the cabinet through circulation and it approved one-time waiver. The sources said Khaqan Abbasi has no plan to avail the full fortnight waiver to stay abroad, and would return home in about 10 days.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is not contemplating to visit London for meeting with his leader former prime minister and Quaid of PML-N, Nawaz Sharif, who is in London and allegedly under treatment for ailments. The British government has clamped complete restriction on flights for the country. In case of acute emergency, the visitor must stay under quarantine for 14-days before entering the country. The strict restrictions have been imposed due to surge of coronavirus in the United Kingdom.