The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday granted bail on medical grounds to former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who has been admitted to the hospital ever since a precarious decrease in his platelet count.
According to reports, ailing Nawaz’s bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case came after the prosecution and defence concluded their arguments and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) did not challenge the plea.
A two-member bench, headed by Justice Baqar Najafi, had heard the petition. The anti-corruption watchdog’s prosecutor told the court that “every life, including that of Nawaz Sharif, is precious”, adding that the former premier’s condition was treatable.
After a struggle of three days, a six-member medical board, headed by Services Hospital Principal Ayaz Mahmood, had on Thursday diagnosed the reason for Nawaz’s declining health.
“It is acute immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder, in which the immune system destroys platelets,” a board member had told Dawn. “We are hopeful that his condition will improve in a few days.”
Doctors have said that the disease is treatable.
On Friday, Dr Ayaz submitted a detailed medical report of the former premier. He told the court that a medical board, which also includes Nawaz’s personal physician, meets twice every day to discuss the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo’s condition.
Earlier in the day, Nawaz’s lawyer Ashtar Ausaf told the court that the former premier’s condition was “extremely serious”.
Dr Ayaz told the court that Nawaz’s platelet count was constantly reducing, adding that the hospital had conducted tests to see if Nawaz was suffering from dengue.
“We inject platelets every day but they destruct every day,” Dr Ayaz said and added that something or the other was destroying the ex-PM’s platelets.
He said that steroids will have to be injected in order to treat Nawaz.
“We have to conduct a bone marrow test but we cannot inject a needle in Nawaz Sharif’s bone.”
Dr Ayaz informed the court that Nawaz is a diabetes patient and is suffering from several other ailments as well.
The bench told the doctor to apprise the court about Nawaz’s recent condition by 12 pm and adjourned the hearing until later in the day.
An accountability court had earlier this month granted NAB a 14-day physical remand of Nawaz in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. The remand expired today.
