Pakistani Court Suspends Jail Sentence Of Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif For Eight Weeks

A court in Pakistan on Tuesday suspended jail sentence to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for eight weeks over health problems, lawyers and Sharif’s party said.

Sharif, the three-time prime minister, was serving a seven-year jail term over corruption charges related to owning a steel mill abroad.

Sharif’s personal doctor Adnan told the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that the former prime minister is in critical condition and that he should be allowed to get treatment on his own choice.

He said that life-saving drugs are being given to the former prime minister and that a medical board has suggested a full body scan.

“The health condition of Nawaz Sharif is very critical and he has not yet been improved,” Adnan said.

A two-member bench heard application for suspension of jail sentence to get treatment. Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shehbaz Sharif had filed the application.

Judges Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Kiyani ruled that Sharif can approach the government for extension in suspension of sentence after the expiry of eight weeks suspension if Sharif’s health was not improved. They said the local administration can take a decision about release of a prisoner if the prisoner is sick.

Sharif’s lawyer Khawaja Haris in his arguments said Sharif is not getting appropriate treatment at the hospital.

He was shifted to hospital last week after his health deteriorated in jail in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

Head of the Services Hospital in Lahore Saleem Shahzad, who is a member of Sharif’s medical team, informed the court that Sharif’s condition is serious. He said the former prime minister is suffering from several diseases and treatment of all diseases at one time is a challenging issue.

Chief Minister of Punjab Province Usman Buzdar appeared before the court and presented a report about the health of the former premier.

Prosecutor for the country’s anti-graft body Jahanzaib Bharwana told the court that the Supreme Court had earlier suspended Sharif’s sentence for six weeks on health grounds but barred him from leaving the country.

Ahsan Iqbal, a senior leader from Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), welcomed the court’s verdict but said the suspension of punishment should not be limited only for eight weeks.