ISLAMABAD: On the issue of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s return to the country, the Attorney General s Office (AGO) has written a letter to President Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif on Monday.
The letter referred to Shehbaz Sharif’s guarantee in the Lahore High Court (LHC) regarding the return of Nawaz Sharif. According to the statement mentioned in the letter the implementation of the letter must be done on the guarantee given in the LHC. Medical reports of former premier and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif should be provided to the Special Medical Board within 10 days.
The letter further stated that legal action would be taken against Nawaz Sharif and a contempt of court petition will be filed in the Lahore High Court against him if he does not submit the report to medical board.
The office of the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) on Monday warned opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif that he could face contempt of court proceedings if he fails to furnish fresh reports regarding the medical condition of his elder brother and former prime minister, Mohammad Nawaz Sharif.
“In the event of your failure, [AGP] office shall be constrained to initiate proceedings for breach of undertaking and violation of the order of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in terms of Article 204 of the Constitution, read with section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003,” warned the two-page letter issued by Secretary Khalid Khan Niazi to the leader of opposition in the National Assembly, on the directions of AGP Khalid Jawed Khan.
The fresh letter is the second piece of correspondence on this subject to be dispatched by the AGP office within the past fortnight — a Jan 12 letter addressed to the Punjab government had sought the constitution of a medical board to determine the current state of the former premier’s health.
However, the letter to Shehbaz Sharif states that before initiating proceedings before the high court over “breach of undertaking and order of the LHC, it is deemed appropriate that this letter is addressed to you for providing the medical reports as stated in the letter of the special medical board within a period of ten days of the receipt of the letter”.
The letter recalled how the special medical board met on Jan 17, 2022 to examine the 29-page documents issued by Cardiothoracic Surgeon David R Lawrence. The board concluded that the documents did not provide any information about the current clinical evaluation, including blood reports, imaging results and any interventional procedures carried out so far on Nawaz Sharif.
It concluded that the board was not in a position to render “any structured advice or a considered opinion” about his current physical condition and ability to travel, to the competent authority in the light of the information available.
The letter stated that it was evident from the observations of the board that the opposition leader had not fulfilled his obligation to provide periodical medical reports from Nawaz Sharif’s doctor, as per his solemn undertaking and the order of the LHC.
“You are, therefore prime facie in violation of your undertaking and [the] order passed by the LHC on Nov 16, 2019,” the letter emphasized.
In its meeting on Jan 11, the federal cabinet had discussed the matter at length and, subsequently, the AGP office was instructed to initiate proceedings against Shehbaz Sharif for an apparent violation of the affidavit he submitted before the LHC.
To initiate the process envisioned by the Nov 16, 2019 order of the high court, the Punjab government was requested to constitute a medical board to examine the documents submitted as reports of Nawaz Sharif so that expert medical opinion could be obtained regarding his physical condition and his ability to travel back to Pakistan.