Friday, August 30, 2019
#Pakistan - Govt accused of playing with lives of Nawaz, Zardari
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party have accused the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government of not providing adequate health facilities to their leaders — Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari — saying ‘selected’ Prime Minister Imran Khan will be responsible if anything happens to them.
Expressing concern over the government’s apathetic attitude towards the health of Nawaz Sharif, PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif alleged that the PTI government was not providing adequate health facilities to the former prime minister and even denied him cardiac ambulance.
“This is the worst kind of political revenge. Depriving a patient of treatment is tantamount to killing him,” he said, adding that Imran Niazi would be responsible if anything happened to Nawaz Sharif.
PML, PPP warn that if anything happens to their jailed leaders, ‘selected’ PM will be responsible
Dr Adnan Khan, a personal physician of the former prime minister, has written to the Punjab chief secretary, asking the provincial government to provide Mr Sharif specialised medical care round the clock. He said Mr Sharif had not been provided adequate “medical facilities to cope with multiple co-morbidities which cannot be treated from within the jail premises”.
Dr Khan said the Punjab Prisons Department cognizant of the inadequate medical facilities had sought a specialised cardiac ambulance from government institutions which was denied. He cited a media report saying “a request of the Punjab Prisons Department seeking a specialised cardiac ambulance has been denied by two government hospitals [Punjab Institute of Cardiology and Services Institute of Medical Sciences] due to excessive medical cover that is being provided to VIPs, VVIPs, foreign delegations and honorable members of the provincial assembly, and judiciary and their families”.
“Mr Sharif’s multiple co-morbidities include ischernic heart disease, cardiac conduction defects (LBBB/heart blocks), chronic kidney disease (stage 3), extracranial carotid and vertebral artery disease (carotid artery stenosis), extracardiac atherosclerotic vascular disease (renal artery stenosis/PAD), diabetes mellitus, hypertension and pathological lymphadenopathy. And he requires constant medical attention and the jail authorities must be prepared to tackle any cardiac/medical emergency he may encounter,” Dr Khan said.
He said Mr Sharif’s health could be affected during imprisonment. “Restrictions on access to proper medical care during incarceration are violative of his constitutional rights to life, dignity and equality. It is requested that proper medical facilities and care be provided to Mr Sharif,” he demanded.
PPP secretary general Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and information secretary Dr Nafisa Shah expressed concern over former president Asif Zardari’s health and said he should be under medical care immediately.
They said the PTI government should not play with someone’s life. The court should take notice of this mistreatment as ‘selected’ PM Khan was misusing his authority by targeting his political opponents.
“Selected PM wants PPP chairman Bilawal’s voice to be silenced as he always speaks the truth which is why the PTI government is concerned. This is not the first time that the PPP leadership has suffered in jails and that this will only strengthen the party’s resolve to fight tyranny,” Ms Shah said.
Nawaz Sharif is serving seven-year imprisonment in Kot Lakhpat jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case, while Asif Zardari is on judicial remand in Adiala jail in the fake bank accounts case.
#Pakistan #PPP - Govt trying to 'murder' Zardari by denying medical facilities: Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Monday alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Isnaf (PTI)-led government is trying to “murder” incarcerated Zardari by outright depriving him of medical facilities in jail.
Speaking to media outside Adiala Jail after meeting Asif Ali Zardari, he expressed that his father has been attempted to kill by disobeying doctors’ advice and denying him medical facilities in the prison. “Will act on our principles and won’t give in to the pressure of ‘puppet’ PM”, he added. Bilawal said that these nominated people will be responsible if something happens to Zardari.
PPP Chairman asserted that human rights were being flouted in the country whereas all of this is just a spectacle. “Every slogan and every promise has turned out to be false,” he added. “Poor are being economically killed and we won’t stay quiet”.
Scion of the Bhutto dynasty maintained that Prime Minister Imran Khan, along with US President Donald Trump, has bargained over Kashmir but he will fight them on every front.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari went on to say that PM Imran can’t break the opposition. He raised the question that why corruption is not getting eliminated from the country even when Zardari and Nawaz are incarcerated. “Imran Khan is incapable of running the country and I will expose them on every front”, he added.
#Pakistan #PPP - Aseefa Bhutto Zardari barred from meeting father at PIMS Hospital
Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari was barred from entering PIMS Hospital in Islamabad on Friday when she went to meet her father.
“Women police officers manhandled me and didn’t allow me to see my father,” Aseefa told the media.
She went on to say that her father saw her and struggled to get out of his wheelchair and let her in. “He brought me to his room, but the officers kept coming in and telling me to leave” she said. “Bibi get out, they said.”
.@AseefaBZ stopped and manhandled by police as she reached to visit her ailing father at PIMS hospital with the court permission in her hands. The fascists have now resorted to attacking daughters! Pakistan reliving Zia times.
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Aseefa said she refused to leave because she had taken permission from the court to meet Zardari on Friday. “The jail authorities were not present for me to speak to,” she added. Zardari was not allowed to speak to his lawyers either, Aseefa said.
Zardari was shifted to PIMS Hospital Thursday morning. He already suffers from heart, back and spinal problems.
Adiala Jail authorities say he was shifted to PIMS on the recommendation of a medical board. The board sent its recommendation last week. The PPP co-chairperson has been ill for the past few days.
He is in jail as part of an investigation into the fake accounts case. He and several others, including his sister Faryal Talpur and close aide Anwar Majeed, are being investigated for their alleged role in laundering money through fake accounts at three local banks.
He was sent to Adiala Jail on August 16 after a court changed his physical remand to judicial remand. He will be presented before the court again on September 5.
PPP leaders like chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Senator Sherry Rehman had urged the authorities to shift the former president to the hospital. Bilawal had tweeted that the authorities weren’t shifting Zardari to the hospital despite the recommendations of the medical board. He said if anything happened to his father, the government would be to blame.