PML-N rejects 'conditional permission' for Sharif's travel

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday rejected the Imran Khan government's "conditional permission" granted to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment.

PML-N's Muhammad Zubair told Geo News that the government was playing politics as the move to allow conditional permission to the former premier held no legal value.

"They are playing politics over this decision," he said.

Zubair said that Sharif was a political leader and his decisions would have political implications for the country.

"Its not so simplegive money and go abroad," he said. "The PML-N gave told everyone about its stance yesterday (Wednesday) about the decision of the subcommittee. We don't think these surety bonds have any legal value."

On Wednesday, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Farogh Naseem announced that Sharif would be given a "one-time" permission to travel abroad for his medical treatment for a period of four weeks, Dawn news reported.

Addressing a press conference along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar, he said this permission will be subject to the Sharif family submitting an indemnity bond "to the tune of 7-7.5 billion Pakistani rupees".

The PML-N immediately rejected the government decision, terming it "biased" and "based on revenge politics".

After marathon meetings of the federal cabinet and its sub-committee on Tuesday, Sharif had refused to travel abroad for his medical treatment under the conditions proposed by the government.

The government had asked that the PML-N supremo's brother Shehbaz Sharif or his daughter Maryam submit on his behalf surety bonds equivalent to the fines imposed on him in the two corruption cases - Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield properties.

Last week, the former premier was shifted to an intensive care unit (ICU) set up at his Jati Umra residence from the Services Institute of Medical Sciences (SIMS), where he was admitted on October 22 after his personal physician raised an alarm about his deteriorating health.

During the course of treatment at the Services Hospital, the former premier had suffered an angina attack, besides complaints of bleeding from gums and some other parts, because of his fluctuating platelets.

The Islamabad High Court had on October 29 granted bail to Sharif for eight weeks, suspending his seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference on medical grounds.

The previous day, he had also secured bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case from the Lahore High Court on the same ground.

( With inputs from IANS )