ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Accountability Shahzad Akbar has said that the federal government would file an appeal challenging the Lahore High Court (LHC) decision allowing permission to PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif to go abroad for medical treatment.
Addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday, Akbar said the government could not trust PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s guarantee to return to the country when he hadn’t been able to fulfill the same assurance for his brother PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif.
Shehbaz had previously visited London due to complaints of back pain and yet videos later surfaced of him running in the streets; there was no problem, he alleged.
He the PTI government would file a petition against the LHC decision and will also present its case before the court regarding stopping Shahbaz Sharif from going abroad.
The PML-N leaders secured a decision in favor of Shahbaz Sharif over the inclusion of his name in the blacklist, he said. However, when they arrived at the airport with an order on the blacklist, it emerged that his name was on the person not on the list (PNIL), he stated.
Akbar said, “We have volume 55 which carries evidence against Shahbaz and trial will begin in light of it after Eid.” The PM’s special assistant said if Shahbaz Sharif is permitted to leave the county then the trial of other co-accused would also be affected.
On the occasion, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said, “Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid is much more ill than Shahbaz but she is getting treatment in Pakistan.”
Allowing Shahbaz Sharif to travel abroad will mean that special treatment is provided to him other than the hundreds of prisoners languishing in Pakistani jails, he highlighted.
He further said the move will give an impression that influential people could make a mockery of the justice system. Fawad Chaudhry said that they respect the court orders and had implemented them, though, they also have the right to appeal against the decision.
He also admired the courts for their decisions in cases such as the Panama Papers case, saying a perception was created that the legal system was part of the war against corruption.
The Lahore High Court on Friday had granted Shehbaz ‘conditional permission’ to travel to the UK for medical treatment from May 8 to July 3.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif was barred from boarding a Doha-bound flight on Saturday and was offloaded from the aircraft.
The PML-N leader was granted “one-time” permission to fly abroad on medical grounds by the Lahore High Court and was set to depart for Qatar where he was expected to fly to London.
Shehbaz was scheduled to leave for Doha from the Lahore airport today onboard a foreign airline. After spending some days in quarantine, he was had planned to fly to London where he was to consult his doctors.
Shehbaz was even issued a boarding card by a foreign airline. However, when he arrived at the immigration counter, he was barred from boarding the plane. He informed the officials about the court for his one-time travel permit.
