Court rejects Nawaz Sharif's bail plea on medical grounds

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday rejected a petition seeking suspension of the sentence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al Azizia Steel Mills case on medical grounds.

Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed informed a two-member bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani, that the former prime minister was seeking suspension of sentence and subsequent release for medical reasons, Dawn reported.

Haris argued that "more than 60 per cent health condition of the former premier is in danger" and that he needs further treatment.

He added that treatment was also essential to reduce the mental stress Sharif was facing in jail.

When Justice Kiyani asked Haris if doctors had declared that Sharif's cure was not possible in the country, the counsel replied in the affirmative, adding that the former premier's health condition was deteriorating day by day.

Haris also told the court that Sharif was suffering from diabetes and heart issues. He added that Sharif needs an attendant round the clock to ensure that his blood sugar level remains normal.

Harris told Dawn that he had already informed that Court that Sharif's medical tests were carried out during the six-week relief period. Now that Sharif's diseases have been diagnosed, he needs treatment, the counsel added.

Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Jahanzaib Bharwana in his arguments had said that Sharif had already been given six weeks for medical treatment.

On May 20, Sharif had filed in the IHC a fresh petition seeking release from Kot Lakhpat jail on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

The petition sought suspension of Sharif's seven-year sentence and subsequent grant of post-arrest bail on medical grounds. Citing medical reports, it further claimed that Sharif's condition was critical and he required a stress-free environment for his cardiac treatment that could prove to be life-threatening.

Earlier in May, the Supreme Court had rejected Sharif's review petition seeking bail on medical grounds and permission to go abroad for treatment and ordered him to surrender before the court as soon as his bail period ended.

On Dec 24 last year, an accountability court had convicted Sharif in the Al-Azizia Reference case, with a prison sentence of seven years and a fine of Rs1.5 billion and USD 25 million.