The danger to Nawaz Sharif's health is increasing due to a delay in his travel abroad for treatment, his party has said, as the ailing former Pakistan prime minister awaits removal of his name from the no fly-list.
The 69-year-old Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo agreed on Friday to go to the UK for the treatment, heeding doctors' advice and accepting his family's request. He was scheduled to leave for London on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight on Sunday morning.
Sharif is suffering from multiple health complications, including erratic platelet count, and is currently being taken care at his residence near Lahore where an ICU has been set up.
The government could not remove Sharif's name from the no fly-list (Exit Control List-ECL) as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, Javed Iqbal was not available to issue a no objection certificate in the case.
According to doctors, Sharif's departure process needs to be speeded up, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb tweeted.
Aurangzeb said that doctors had given the former prime minister a heavy dose of steroids to prepare him for his travel abroad.
She said that it will become almost impossible to shift Sharif overseas for treatment in case of a medical emergency.
"Nawaz Sharif's treatment abroad is being delayed by the delay in taking his name off the ECL," Geo News quoted Aurangzeb as saying said. "Doctors have said that he cannot be given heavy doses of steroids time and again."
Earlier, Maryam said, "Mian sahib's condition is very critical and he must go abroad for diagnosis of his disease and treatment. Doctors of the government and private medical boards have exhausted all options and they have unanimously recommended his treatment abroad."