ISLAMABAD - Former president Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s illness was a ‘cause of concern’ as he felicitated the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo on grant of bail by the Supreme Court on medical grounds.
Earlier in the day, the top court granted bail to Nawaz Sharif for six weeks against a surety bond of Rs5 million in a petition filed on medical grounds in Al-Azizia corruption reference. The court however, directed that Sharif cannot leave the country.
Sharif’s defence counsel Khawaja Haris had pleaded with the court to grant his client bail as he would need eight weeks for medical treatment, but the court accepted his bail for only six weeks.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa – also comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi – heard Sharif’s appeal against a February 25 Islamabad High Court decision to reject his bail.
Felicitates ex-premier on getting bail
In a message to Sharif, Zardari felicitated Sharif and the PML-N workers on the grant of bail. The Pakistan Peoples’ Party co-chairman said that Sharif’s illness was a cause of concern for his party.
ABBASI EXPECTS FURTHER
RELIEF FOR SHARIF
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Tuesday predicted Sharif will get further relief in appeal against his incarceration.
Speaking to reporters here, Abbasi said the lies of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team had been exposed and demanded that the PM should apologise to the nation. “Nawaz Sharif never wished to go abroad for treatment,” he added.
Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz also expressed gratitude upon her father’s release and wrote “Allah Kareem (God is generous)” on Twitter.
PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif thanked God after his brother was granted bail and congratulated party workers and the people. He said the PML-N had always respected the judicial decisions. Shehbaz Sharif said the decision on Sharif’s treatment will be made after consultations.
Separately, a two-member bench, led by Justice Malik Shahzad in a verdict at the Lahore High Court yesterday ordered the government to remove leader of opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List.
The PML-N president was released from sub-jail on February 15, a day after the Lahore High Court granted him bail in Ashiana-e-Iqbal and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases.
Amid the PML-N celebrations, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was yesterday leading a ‘Train March’ from Karachi to Larkana. The march has been titled ‘Karwan-e-Bhutto.’
The train will stop at different stations such as Hyderabad, Tando Adam, Nawabshah, Padidan, Khairpur Mirs, Rohri among others.