Pak SC turns down Sharif's plea for permanent bail on medical grounds

Pakistan's Supreme Court Friday dismissed a petition of ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for permanent bail on medical grounds, saying there was no immediate threat to his life.

Sharif, 69, was granted six-week interim bail by the top court on March 26 to undergo medical treatment and he filed the petition on April 27 for permanent bail as he was suffering from acute anxiety and depression that may lead to "sudden death".

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa who heard Sharif's petition also rejected his plea seeking permission for treatment in the UK.

After hearing the arguments and seeing the medical report, the bench turned down the petition by observing that there was nothing new in the medical reports that suggested immediate threat to his life.

The chief justice also said the court gave six-week bail to Sharif for treatment.

"We gave him six weeks bail as recommended by five medical boards and 31 doctors for angiography, but the time was spent conducting evaluations and tests," said Justice Khosa.

Rejecting the petition, he announced to give powers to the jail superintendent to send Sharif to hospital as and when required.

Sharif's lawyer then requested the court to extend the bail for another eight weeks but it was also turned down by the court.

After the rejection of petition, Sharif would have to go back to jail on May 7 when the six-week bail term would expire.

Sharif, three-time prime minister, has been serving a seven-year prison term at Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 24, 2018 when an accountability court convicted him in one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.