From Abid Usman
LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Qatar Airways air ambulance landed at the Heathrow airport in London on Tuesday.
This was announced by Nawaz’s personal physician Dr Adnan Khan on Twitter.
“Former PM #NawazSharif on-board Qatar Airways Air Ambulance A7-MED has landed safely at Heathrow, London-UK,” tweeted Adnan. The former prime minister departed for London earlier during the day in an air ambulance, accompanied by his sibling Shehbaz Sharif and personal physician Dr Adnan Khan. The ambulance, which arrived at 8:45am at Lahore Airport has Qatar as its first destination, from where it will continue its journey towards London.
Seven people are travelling with Nawaz, along with his brother Shehbaz and physician Dr Adnan.
Earlier, while speaking to a private TV channel, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said doctors had conducted a medical test in the morning. “If Nawaz Sharif had left 15 days earlier, then his treatment would have already started by now,” Aurangzeb said. “Nawaz will be taken to the US for treatment.” We will consult the doctors in London and then take a decision, she said, adding Nawaz was kept on high dose medicine for 15 days.
Aurangzeb further said that in the absence of Nawaz and Shehbaz, party affairs will be handled by the senior leadership of the PML-N.
Earlier, 21 senior PML-N leaders were at the Hajj Terminal of the Lahore Airport to see off the former prime minister. Some of those in attendance were Aurangzeb, Raja Zafarul Haq, Ahsan Iqbal and Khawaja Asif.
According to PML-N spokesperson Aurangzeb, the air ambulance which Nawaz will travel in has a built-in ICU and fully functional operation theater. Earlier, immigration sources told media that Nawaz’s name will remain on the Exit Control List (ECL) even after the court allowed him to go abroad for medical treatment.
According to immigration officials, since the court granted the former premier an exemption on medical grounds to travel outside the country, he will have to produce the court order to get past immigration officials. Sources said that the name of the former premier will remain on the ECL as per the law, but his exemption according to the court order will be mentioned in the computerised record. Nawaz will have to produce his passport and the court order before the immigration officials to fly abroad from the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore tomorrow morning.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday permitted to remove Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) without any conditions for a time period of four weeks.
On Friday, the LHC called the plea admissible regarding the removal of former premier Sharif’s name from the ECL on a conditional basis the government had said it would allow a ‘one-time permission’ provided Nawaz Sharif deposited surety bonds worth Rs7-7.5 billion. In its decision, the LHC said that in case Nawaz’s health doesn’t improve then the time-period can be extended, adding that the government officials will be able to contact Nawaz through the Pakistani embassy.
