Govt, Opp agree to resolve Nawaz treatment issue

LAHORE: Opposition and treasury members in Punjab Assembly continued debating the issue of providing proper health care to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is suffering from cardiac problems while serving jail term but refused to go to hospital in protest.

Speaking on a point of order, several opposition members accused government of denying Nawaz Sharif satisfactory medical care as political victimisation, but the provincial ministers, including Law Minister Raja Basharat and Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashed assured the House that government was ready to provide all possible medical care to Nawaz Sharif and could also arrange video conference with his doctors in Europe besides allowing them to visit him in any hospital in the country. The ministers said the government had already offered to shift Nawaz Sharif to any hospital in the country but he had refused it.

Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi observed that health problems of Nawaz Sharif should not be made political issue, and expressed sorrow that opposition leaders knew about his health conditions for many years but never cared to provide latest cardiac care facilities in the country during their rule. The speaker asked the ministers to sit down with the opposition members to resolve the issue. On his instructions, a committee comprising Law Minister Raja Basharat and Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashed from treasury and Dr Mazhar, Rana Muhammad Iqbal and others from opposition, was formed to discuss and resolve the issue.

Pervaiz Elahi took serious notice of the absence of the secretaries of Finance and Education departments from the House. On the complaints of several opposition members who had said that bureaucracy was openly violating the sanctity of the House by ignoring to attend the proceedings despite several warnings, the Speaker directed the law minister to take serious notice of the matter. Later, the speaker adjourned the House proceedings without allowing the start of pre-budget debate because of the absence of Finance Secretary and stopped Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht to open the debate with his speech. He refused the requests by law minister who had informed the House that finance secretary was on his way and should reach the House by the time opposition members would be making their speeches. The speaker observed as to why the entire House should wait for the secretary finance as he should have left everything to reach House in time for this vital debate.

The matter of Nawaz Sharif’s refusal to be treated in hospital came up when opposition members Dr Mazhar, on a point of order, alleged that treasury members and ministers had been making a mockery of the serious cardiac problems faced by Nawaz Sharif. He said government ministers and members used to say Nawaz was faking about cardiac problems, and joked about his eating Nihari, Payas and Kababs.

He said similar accusations were made about Kulsoom Nawaz’s illness. He said Nawaz Sharif refused treatment because government continued ignoring recommendations of medical boards one after the other. He wanted to go abroad because neither the equipment to control cardiac rhythm nor the electro physiology labs were available in Pakistan.

Raja Basharat said government was ready to resolve every issue regarding Nawaz Sharif’s health but it should not be made protests on Assembly stairs but must be discussed seriously. He said government was ready to shift Nawaz to Shifa Hospital or anywhere he wanted, and was not doing politics on the issue. He said over 40,000 prisoners were in Punjab jails at the moment but nobody was getting the kind of facilities given to Nawaz Sharif. Dr Yasmin Rashed said Nawaz Sharif was suffering from multiple problems, including diabetics, hypertension, kidney stones and angina. She said Nawaz was shifted to Jinnah Hospital on his wish and entire ward was allocated for his care. She said she had ordered special arrangements in PIC on Tuesday night as soon as he learnt about his condition deteriorating.

She said the government could ask federal government to allow his doctors from London to visit here or arrange video conference with them. She said Nawaz was offered every possible health care in the country but he himself refused to avail it.

Former speaker Rana Iqbal said anyone could suffer from cardiac problems and it should not be made a political issue. Malik Ahmad Khan said Nawaz Sharif refused medical care because government made one medical board after another but ignored recommendations.