Nawaz seeks exemption from court appearance in Al-Azizia case

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday filed an application before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking exemption from personal appearance as a division bench is set to resume hearing of the appeal he filed against conviction in the Al-Azizia reference.

The appeal is fixed for hearing before the division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani for Tuesday (today).

In the application, Mr Sharif contended that the Supreme Court granted him six-week bail to undergo medical treatment and he is being examined at the Sharif Medical City hospital.

Mr Sharif also attached a health certificate issued by Dr Amjad Iqbal stating his current health status.

According to the application, since Mr Sharif has to undergo several tests daily, therefore, he may be exempted from personally appearing during the hearing of the appeal.

Ex-PM has attached a medical certificate with his application

Accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik on Dec 24 last year convicted Mr Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference and sentenced him to seven-year imprisonment.

The Supreme Court last month suspended his sentence for six weeks and granted him post arrest bail for six weeks to get medical treatment in the country.

Back in February Mr Sharif was diagnosed as a patient with serious health problems and the specially constituted medical board that examined him recommended he be shifted to a hospital.

The six-member board, which included two specialists from the army medical corps, examined Mr Sharif at the Kot Lakhpat prison after other doctors suggested that he had cardiac problems and needed to be hospitalised.

Read: Jail doctor tells court Nawaz suffering from various ailments

“We’ve thoroughly examined Mr Sharif and found him suffering from multiple health issues that need immediate and specialised healthcare at a facility where care for multiple and complicated diseases is available,” one of the board members had told Dawnon the condition of anonymity.

The board that examined Mr Sharif comprised cardiac experts from the Armed Forces’ Institute of Cardiology, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology and the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology.

It was the third panel to have medically examined the 69-year-old PML-N leader.

Punjab Governor Muhammad Sarwar and former information minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan had stated that the former prime minister would be allowed to move to a hospital if the special medical board recommended thus.

Earlier, a board of the Jinnah Hospital also recommended his being in hospital, declaring that “Mr Sharif is not completely well.”