Nawaz Sharif likely to be flown to US on Dec 16 for further treatment

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to fly to the United States for the treatment of his ailment there, according to family sources.

Sharif, a former three-time prime minister, is currently receiving treatment at the Harvey Clinic in London. He is currently residing at Avenfield flats owned by his son Hasan Nawaz since November 20, The Dawn reported.

Sharif has been diagnosed with an immune system disorder that has caused a low platelet count. Sources said that the treatment of his ailment was not available in London and hence, the former prime minister has to be shifted to the US for further medical treatment.

 

"The medical tests conducted in London revealed that blood supply to a part of Nawaz Sharif's brain was obstructed causing low platelet count issue and the surgical procedure facility required to treat it was available only in Boston, US," they were quoted as saying.

The ailing PML-N leader had arrived in the UK in an air ambulance accompanied by his younger brother and party president Shehbaz Sharif and personal physician Dr Adnan Malik. Nawaz was allowed to fly abroad after the Lahore High Court had ordered the federal government to strike off his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) for four weeks.

On October 27, the Islamabad High Court had granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds to Sharif, who is serving a seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia corruption case.

However, the 69-year-old former leader has rejected the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's condition for submitting an indemnity bond as a guarantee for returning to Pakistan after his treatment.

Shehbaz Sharif gave an undertaking in the court that he would ensure his brother's return based on a certification by doctors that he was fit to travel to Pakistan.

Earlier in the day, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that shifting Sharif from London to the US will be challenging for the medical team considering his current health condition.

She also said that the medical reports of the former prime minister revealed that there was an 88 per cent blockage in arteries circulating blood to his brain.

Meanwhile, a group of senior PML-N leaders is in London and were briefed on Sharif's condition by his personal physician, after the delegation was not allowed to meet the ailing party supremo.