ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday dismissed a petition offormer prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, seeking to suspend hisimprisonment sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills case verdict on medicalgrounds.A Divisional Bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and JusticeMohsin Akhter Kiynai, announced the nine-pages judgment, which wasreserved on February 20, after hearing arguments from both sides atlength.The order read, “The petitioner has a history of various cardiaccomplicationsand is a chronic kidney patient and has high blood pressure and diabetes.All the medical reports of the petitioner confirm that he has the abovehistory and is also recommended for medical treatment.”
“None of the reports suggest that continued incarceration of thepetitioner, in any way, would be detrimental to his life,” it stated.
The order stated, “The petitioner has been hospitalized time and againsinceJanuary, 2019, whenever he made complaints about his indisposition. Infact, the reports of Board of Doctors and various Teams constituted, areindicative of the fact that petitioner is receiving best possible medicaltreatment available to any individual in Pakistan.”
It said : “The referred fact cannot be regarded as an ‘extraordinarysituation’and/or case of ‘extreme hardship’. The Rules shows that Superintendent Jailhas the authority to release a prisoner suffering from serious illness. Theparameters, prescribed in the referred Rules, are not attracted in thefacts and circumstancesof present case.”
“For the above reasons, we find the instant petition to be without meritandthe same is accordingly dismissed,” the order concluded.
It may be mentioned here that an Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad hadannounced a seven-year imprisonment sentence on December 24, to formerprime minister Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizizia Steel Mills case.
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Nawaz Sharif had challenged his sentence before the IHC and also filed apetition seeking bail, till the final judgment on his appeal. Later on, theaccused legal team withdrew the bail petition and filed a fresh one seekingNawaz’s release on medical grounds.
Nawaz’s counsel had pleaded before the bench that his client requiredmonitoring round the clock and time-to-time change in his medicine. Thedoctors have alsosuggested angiography of former prime minister.
However, the NAB prosecutor opposed the petition arguing that the prisonerwas hospitalized and being provided best medical facilities. He prayed thecourt to dismiss the bail request.
