Nawaz Sharif's cardiac treatment delayed twice due to daughter's absence in London

Islamabad, Feb 05: Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's treatment has been delayed twice as his daughter Maryam was not permitted to be with him in London, according to media reports on Wednesday.

In a statement, Leader of Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said his elder brother's health was critical and the Pakistan government on humanitarian grounds should allow Maryam to be with her father.

"As Nawaz's health is (raising) concern, the margin for medical action is reducing as more time passes," Shehbaz was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

Shehbaz said cardiologists had twice changed dates for the 69-year-old ex-prime minister's cardiac catheterisation. He said Sharif's wife Kulsoom's death had negatively affected his health, Express Tribune reported.

Kulsoom died of multiple health complications in London in 2018. Sharif left for London on November 19 in an air ambulance to seek medical treatment, a month after he was released on bail from a seven-year prison sentence for corruption.

The PML-Nawaz supremo is undergoing treatment for multiple diseases including coronary artery disease (CAD). The CAD is the narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries due to which the heart does not receive the blood it needs, leading to acute chest pain and, in some cases, a fatal heart attack.

Maryam, 46, was placed on a no-fly list in August 2018. Citing her father's health condition in London, Maryam filed a petition before the Lahore High Court for removal of her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) and the return of her passport.

Maryam's name is in the ECL since she was convicted in the Avenfield corruption case in 2018. She is also accused of money laundering. The PML-N vice-president was arrested by the country's anti-corruption bureau on August 8 last year in a case pertaining to "shady business transactions" at Chaudhry Sugar Mills, where she is a major shareholder.

A photograph of Sharif at a London restaurant with some family members went viral on social media early last month, leading to speculation on the former prime minister's "serious" health condition.

End of last month, the Punjab government asked Sharif to submit supporting reports on his application seeking extension of his stay abroad. The Punjab provincial home department, in a letter to Sharif, said a medical board had found the reports submitted by Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris on December 23 to be insufficient to form a conclusive opinion and sought fresh records.