Hamza Shahbaz contracts Covid-19 in jail

LAHORE: Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shahbaz, has contracted Covid-19 in prison, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb revealed, demanding the lawmaker be moved to a hospital immediately.

In a series of tweets on the party’s Twitter handle on Sunday, Aurangzeb said Hamza tested positive for the virus and has been suffering from fever for the last three days.

Hamza, the son of PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif, has been incarcerated in Kot Lakhpat jail on judicial remand since the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested him in June last year. The NAB accuses him of money laundering and possessing assets beyond his known sources of income. The Lahore High Court rejected Hamza’s bail petition in February, and the lawmaker was unable to attend an accountability court hearing on September 10 — reportedly due to his illness.

“In view of his deteriorating health, he should be shifted from the Kot Lakhpat Jail to a hospital immediately,” Marriyum demanded in a tweet. “And, all legal requirements should be completed so that he is offered healthcare facilities.”

The PML-N spokeswoman warned that negligence in his treatment could jeopardise his health. She also requested the party workers to pray for his early recovery.

Shahbaz Sharif lamented his son contracted coronavirus in jail and praised his son’s courage in a tweet. “My son Hamza has been infected with coronavirus in jail. After fighting NAB cases in [Pervez] Musharraf’s rule, he is now facing the political vendetta of the NAB-Niazi alliance with the utmost courage and steadfastness.” He asked everyone to pray for his recovery.

Shahbaz visited the prison to see his son and inquire about his health, according to Geo News. They discussed the current political environment, cases against their family and other issues. Later, Hamza’s family also met him in the prison.

Maryam Nawaz tweeted that her cousin has “illegally been incarcerated for more than a year now”. She added: “The tyrants masking as rulers must know that even the naked, brutal force they rely upon will be of no help when the payback time strikes and the day is not far, Insha’Allah.”

In a separate tweet, she cast aspersions on how Hamza could come down with Covid-19 while in “solitary confinement”, while also questioning what her father was fed that led to his “platelets dropping to dangerous levels”.

She wrote: “It is yet to be ascertained what food was given to Nawaz Sharif at NAB after he stopped eating at home. Suddenly, his illness worsened, his platelets dropped to dangerous levels and he had a heart attack. The question is, how did the sole prisoner in solitary confinement get infected with the coronavirus?”