ISLAMABAD – Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Thursday lashed out at the Sharif family for showing reluctance to submit indemnity bonds to take Nawaz Sharif abroad for treatment.
that Nawaz’s health should have been the foremost priority for the Sharif family members, but they did not care for that for their love of money, she said while talking to the media.
She added that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership had kept Nawaz Sharif in Jati Umra as a hostage, adding that the people now knew very well that the Sharif family preferred money than the recovery of Nawaz from illness, she added.
The Federal Cabinet’s sub-committee on Wednesday granted one-time conditional permission to convicted former prime minister to seek treatment abroad, asking him to submit indemnity bond worth Rs 7 billion to ensure that he will return Pakistan after getting healthy.
Nawaz Sharif had been seriously ill and the government had facilitated him to go abroad for treatment on humanitarian grounds, but he was made a hostage by his family and his party, she said while talking to the media.
Dr Firdous said the narrative presented by the PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in his press conference was based on lies. The words being used by PML-N leaders were unfortunate as they tried to give an impression that the government was demanding ransom for allowing Nawaz Sharif to go abroad for treatment.
The Sharif family had agreed to give indemnity bonds while behind doors, but in public they started terming it ransom while shutting their eyes to the fact that Nawaz Sharif was a convict, she added.
She said the government had considered Nawaz’s case purely on humanitarian grounds as it was concerned about his health, but the PML-N leaders were doing politics on the issue.
The special assistant said the people knew that who was the ‘kidnapper’. Nawaz Sharif had been confined to Jati Umra by his party leadership for politicking instead of taking him abroad for treatment after fulfilling legal requirements. They were in fact playing with his health for their own vested interests, she added.
Dr Firdous said the Sharif family was not compelled to deposit any money or property documents as the government had simply sought an assurance in the shape indemnity bonds.
The PML-N should not spoil the government’s goodwill gesture, complete the legal requirements and take Nawaz Sharif abroad for treatment as early as possible, she added.
She said General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was not convicted by any court, but Nawaz Sharif had been sentenced and it was unfortunate that PML-N was comparing the two cases.
