| Says AGP letter on directives of federal cabinet is prompted by political motivation, media trial
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday responded to the letter of the attorney general of Pakistan seeking medical reports of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, saying the letter was tantamount to ‘contempt’ of court.
The AGP office had warned him of contempt proceedings in case he failed to provide medical reports of his elder brother within 10 days.
It had said as per the undertaking given by Shehbaz to the Lahore High Court (LHC), he was bound to provide regular “duly notarised” medical reports of his brother to the court.
It was evident from the observations of the special medical board formed by the Punjab government to examine the PML-N supreme leader’s medical reports, the letter had pointed out.
In November 2019, Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, left the country after he signed a court-approved undertaking, saying that he would return to the country within four weeks.
In his response, Shehbaz expressed reservations over the letter written by the AGP, saying that the words used in the letter were not appropriate. He said the AGP wrote a letter on the directives of the federal cabinet which was akin to contempt of the LHC order.
“I am unable to understand as to how the officer acting under the directions of the attorney general of Pakistan could not comprehend and understand concluding part of the undertaking which has been reproduced by him in para 2 of the letter under reference,” Shehbaz said in allusion to the letter.
“I have reasons to believe that the issuance of the letter is prompted by political motivation…the demand raised on its basis through the letter runs counter to the mandate and is completely out of scope of the [LHC] order dated 16-11-2019,” said the PML-N president.
It appears that the letter has been issued for “the purpose of media trial” to support the “dying political rhetoric” of the federal cabinet.
