*KARACHI: *Islamabad is abuzz with speculations about a reported “deal”that the ailing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif might be striking afterthe government allowed him to go abroad for treatment.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political adviser Naeem-ul-Haq said in astatement the government allowed Sharif to go abroad for treatment afterreviewing medical reports, which were “alarming.”
Local broadcaster *Geo News* citing unnamed family sources reported theex-premier, together with his brother and the opposition leader ShehbazSharif, would fly Sunday to London.
Senator Mushahidullah Khan, a close aide to Sharif, told *Anadolu Agency* thethree-time premier would fly “in a few days or the next week.”
Backdrop interviews with various government officials and Sharif’s closeassociates suggest the three-time premier who is suffering from acuteimmune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder in which theimmune system destroys platelets, agreed to go abroad for treatment, on therequest of family members, mainly his aging mother.
A government medical board has already suggested his treatment abroad dueto the complicated nature of the disease.
Sharif’s daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, confirmed her uncleShehbaz Sharif was finalizing the arrangements for taking the ex-premierabroad for treatment.
“I obviously can’t travel immediately because the court has my passport,”she told reporters in Lahore, referring to the confiscation of her passportunder the directive of the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) that granted her bailin a corruption case earlier this week.
The former premier, who has twice undergone open-heart surgeries, has beenconvicted in two of three corruption cases, and exonerated in the third.
In the first case, he, with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law, wassentenced last July to 10 years in jail in a corruption case by anaccountability court in Islamabad, but the Islamabad High Court (IHC)suspended the conviction in September 2018.
In the second case, known as Al Azizia, in December 2018, Sharif got sevenyears in jail for owning assets beyond known income sources. The IHCsuspended the jail term, and granted bail to Sharif for eight weeks onmedical grounds last month.
In July 2017, he was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the PanamaPapers scandal, which also led to the filing of the three corruption cases.Not long after, the top court also barred him from holding the leadershipof his party.
*‘No deal’*
Sharif served as the premier from 1990 – 1992, 1997 – 1999, and 2013 –2017, unable to complete even a single five-year term. His two previousgovernments were dismissed over corruption charges and through bloodlessmilitary coups in 1992 and 1999.
In April 2000, he had been given a life sentence by an anti-terrorism courtin Karachi on the charge of “hijacking” a plane in which the then-militarychief Gen Pervez Musharraf was traveling.
However, he went into exile in 2001 following a deal brokered by then SaudiKing Abdullah bin Abdelaziz.
Senator Nehal Hashmi, a central leader of Sharif’s center-right PakistanMuslim League (Nawaz) brushed aside the reports about a deal between theex-premier and the “establishment”- a term to designate the military.
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“This is a purely medical-related development. It has nothing to do withpolitics,” Hashmi told *Anadolu Agency*.
“It’s not his (Sharif’s) personal doctor, but three medical boards,including a government one, have suggested that he should [be] treatedabroad because they are unable to properly diagnose his disease,”, he said.
Echoing Hashmi’s view, Hamid Mir, an Islamabad-based political analystreckoned that Sharif’s departure from the country was in the government’sinterest.
“ He (Sharif) is at death’s door. It’s not only his family but theestablishment too wants him to go abroad,” Mir told *Anadolu Agency*,adding, “If anything happens to his life in prison, it will be difficultfor the establishment and the government to handle the backlash.”
“It’s still not sure if he will be able to fly because of his deterioratingcondition,” he maintained.
*‘Murky’*
Habib Akram, a Lahore-based political analyst believes recent developmentsare not possible without an “understanding.”
“If there is no deal involved in recent happenings then there is at leastan understanding that has made this all possible,” Akram told *AnadoluAgency*.
He, however, acknowledged that the situation is murky.
“It is hard to trace the footprints of this deal or understanding despitethe fact the circumstantial evidences and brisk settlement of thingssuggest that,” he said.
“Everything has happened within the system, and through proper channels,”he said, referring to the suspension of his jail term, and bails granted toSharif, his daughter, and son-in-law within the span of two weeks.
“That’s why, it is hard to trace the footprints of this understanding”, hesaid.
Akram saw a thaw in establishment’s “resentment” against Sharif, who hashad bitter relations with the army in the last two decades.
“The recent developments reflect establishment’s resentment against Sharifbut the political horizon is still murky and needs to clear”, he said. “Wecannot predict yet the effect of this understanding on future politics.” -Anadolu Agency
