Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.

Docs will decide on sending Musharraf abroad: Lawyer

Image
Press Trust of India Islamabad
Last Updated : Jan 03 2014 | 8:20 PM IST
Doctors treating Pervez Musharraf could recommend that he must go abroad for treatment of a heart problem and courts would be bound to follow such an opinion, the former Pakistani dictator's lawyer said today.
Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a key member of Musharraf's legal team, said doctors at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology in Rawalpindi could make a recommendation to send the 70-year-old former army chief abroad for treatment.
"Doctors' opinion will be final and the court is bound to follow it," he told reporters outside the hospital where Musharraf is being treated since he fell ill while travelling to a special court yesterday to face charges of high treason for imposing emergency in 2007.
Musharraf's spokesperson Aasia Ishaque said he had suffered a "severe heart attack".
His legal team expects to get his medical reports by Sunday evening and they would be presented in the special court during the next hearing on Monday, Kasuri said.
"No one can challenge the doctors' report - if the doctors advise to take him abroad for medical treatment then the doctors' opinion will be carried out," he said.

More From This Section

Musharraf's condition "remains static but not dangerous" and he was in the intensive care unit, he said. He added that Musharraf was "under stress" but refused to go into details.
Kasuri said, "He was on his way to the special court when he suddenly had a depression, heart sink hone laga (his heart started sinking)."
Dawn News quoted its sources as saying that three vessels in Musharraf's heart "are blocked and he would either require an angioplasty or a heart by-pass". The possibility of his treatment in Dubai or London was being considered, it said.
The sources said Musharraf was being administered blood thinning medication. They said he had experienced extreme mental stress which led to chest pains.
So far, no statement has been issued by the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology about Musharraf's condition.
The sudden health scare was met with scepticism from some observers and media speculation that it could be part of a "secret deal" that would allow Musharraf to leave Pakistan on medical grounds.
Musharraf is the first army chief to face trial for treason. If convicted, he could get life imprisonment or the death penalty. The trial has also raised the possibility of a standoff between the civilian government and the powerful army.
The former President is facing several criminal cases dating back to his rule and he is also barred from travelling out of Pakistan.

Also Read

First Published: Jan 03 2014 | 8:20 PM IST

Next Story