Nawaz Sharif's health deteriorates in jail, admitted to Islamabad hospital

Sharif had complained of severe pain in the chest and left shoulder

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif was on Sunday admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad from Rawalpindi's Adiala jail after health condition worsened, on the orders of Pakistan's interim government.

This came hours after the jail authorities informed the Pakistan Interior Ministry about Sharif's health complications, wherein he complained of severe pain in the chest and left shoulder. Also, an electrocardiogram (ECG) test was done in the prison, which was later found to be unsatisfactory.

According to The News International, caretaker home minister for Punjab province, Shaukat Javed said on state-run Pakistan Television that the doctors had advised Sharif's transfer to hospital following the "variations" in the ECG.

Javed said, "How many days he stays in the hospital depends on doctors." Meanwhile, strict security measures are in place at the PIMS.

Sources told Geo News earlier that the doctors conducted a medical check-up after Sharif complained of chest pain and then referred him to a coronary care unit (CCU). Taking cognizance of the same, the jail superintendent notified to the additional chief secretary.

On July 23, a medical board had urged for his immediate transfer to a hospital after Sharif was reportedly "on the verge of a kidney failure". Following this, a four-member medical team, formed by PIMS, reached the jail to check the health condition of Sharif.

The Express Tribune, attributing to sources, reported that the urea nitrogen in Sharif's blood had climbed up to dangerous levels. The sources further said that Sharif's heartbeat was irregular and he was suffering from dehydration and excessive sweating.

A caretaker government source, however, told the English daily that Sharif was being medically examined on a regular basis in the jail, where his prognosis appeared to be normal.

On July 13, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who were convicted in the Avenfield reference case by the National Accountability Court, were sent to the Adiala jail.