ISLAMABAD: The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) has warned the PML(N) President and Opposition leader Mian Shehbaz Sharif to provide latest medical record of Mian Nawaz Sharif or face contempt of court proceedings.
In a letter written to Shehbaz Sharif, AGP said, “In the event of your failure, the office of AGP shall be constrained to initiate proceedings for breach of undertaking and violation of the order of the Lahore High Court (LHC) in terms of Article 204 of the Constitution, read with section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003.”
The is the second letter on this subject which the AGP office has sent to the opposition leader within a fortnight.
In the first letter issued on Jan 12, the Punjab government was asked to form a medical board to determine the current state of the former premier’s health.
However, the letter to Shehbaz Sharif states that before starting the proceedings before the high court over “breach of undertaking and order of the LHC, it is appropriate that this letter is addressed to you (Opposition leader) for providing the medical reports as stated in the letter of the special medical board within a period of ten days of the receipt of the letter”.
The letter also mentioned how the special medical board met on Jan 17, 2022 to evaluate the documents issued by Cardiothoracic Surgeon David R Lawrence. The board noted that the documents did not provide any information about the current clinical evaluation, including blood reports, imaging results and any interventional procedures carried out so far on Nawaz Sharif.
The APG letter stated that it was evident from the observations of the board that the opposition leader had not fulfilled his obligation to provide periodical medical reports from Nawaz Sharif’s doctor, as per his solemn undertaking and the order of the LHC.
“You are, therefore prime facie in violation of your undertaking and [the] order passed by the LHC on Nov 16, 2019,” the letter emphasized.
Importantly, in a meeting held on Jan 11, the federal cabinet had discussed the matter and directed the AGP office to initiate proceedings against Shehbaz Sharif for an apparent violation of the affidavit he submitted before the LHC.
To initiate the process envisioned by the Nov 16, 2019 order of the high court, the Punjab government was requested to constitute a medical board to examine the documents submitted as reports of Nawaz Sharif so that expert medical opinion could be obtained regarding his physical condition and his ability to travel back to Pakistan.
On Nov 16, 2019 an LHC division bench had granted one-time permission to Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for four weeks as an interim arrangement, and he was to return when doctors certified that he had regained his health and was fit to travel back to Pakistan.
