Islamabad - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Thursday after he suffered a post-surgical complication induced by serious gastrointestinal infection due to the intake of jail food, The Nation has reliably learnt.

Capt (retd) Safdar had earlier undergone a gastric bypass, a type of weight loss surgery, and he was advised to take a specific amount of food in his diet [protein diet], sources said.

The sources at the PIMS said that the condition of Capt Safdar deteriorated after having jail food [langar], before the former premier and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were brought to Adiala jail, where the Sharifs have not been provided a chef.

The sources said that Capt Safdar had been advised to take 50cc protein in his diet, but due to non-provision of the prescribed diet by the jail authorities, he had to take the jail food, leading to a serious stomach infection.

Capt Safdar was already suffering from multiple health issues including cardiac, gastric and arthritis [knee joint issues] and uncontrolled diabetic issues.

The PIMS administration has shifted the ailing Safdar to the presidential suite of the cardiac center where strict security has been put in place and the ward has been declared a sub-jail.

The hospital administration has also constituted a three-member medical team headed by gastroenterologist Dr Mashood to examine Safdar.

According to the sources, a consultant general surgeon and most likely a consultant cardiologist will also examine him. The sources also said that physicians and surgeons at PIMS were facing immense pressure from multiple sides on treating the Sharifs.

The sources also informed The Nation that Safdar’s health started deteriorating some 10 days back. He was given initial treatment at the jail dispensary by a local medical officer, as the jail administration was initially reluctant to shift him to a tertiary-care hospital for a specialised treatment.

The sources also said that Nawaz Sharif was worried about Safdar’s health as he was the most vulnerable amongst the three family members incarcerating in the jail.

A senior official at the PIMS said that Safdar will remain in the hospital till he resuscitates. "It might take four to five days," he said.

PIMS spokesperson Waseem Khawaja said that the hospital administration will provide quality treatment to Safdar. “But we cannot say anything about his health condition until his medical reports are received,” he said.