Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday commented that the use of the term ‘bail’ seems inappropriate for the “six-week-long leave” PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has been granted by the Supreme Court.
The remark came in an evening press briefing following a federal cabinet meeting, in reaction to the decision of a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa to grant Sharif bail for six weeks so that he may get medical treatment of his choice within the country.
According to the short order, the former prime minister will have to surrender himself to jail authorities once the six weeks are over. If he fails to surrender, he will be arrested. Sharif has further been barred from leaving the country.
Khawaja Haris, Sharif’s legal counsel, had requested bail for eight weeks citing an “urgent angiography” required by the PML-N leader.
The former premier had earlier filed a bail plea in the IHC on medical grounds, but was turned down last month, as the high court noted that “none of the reports [about Sharif’s condition] suggest that continued incarceration of the petitioner, in any way, would be detrimental to his life”.
Commenting on today’s developments, Chaudhry said that the government fully respects the apex court’s decision.
“Nawaz Sharif’s narrative has been exposed fully; he does not suffer from illness, just stress. The chief justice raised a very valid question when he pointed out that Sharif is not alone in feeling stress — all inmates feel that.
“The Supreme Court’s verdict is welcome. It is not much different from what we have been offering [to Sharif]. We also said that Sharif has the option to seek treatment in any hospital of his choosing. If they had listened to us, they would not have had to pay extra money to Khawaja Haris [for arguing Sharif’s case].
“Nawaz Sharif also had the option of calling any foreign doctor of his choosing to Pakistan to get treated by them,” the minister noted.
In what seemed to be an overt offer for Sharif to strike a plea bargain with the state, Chaudhry said that if Sharif still wishes to go abroad, “Haris [his counsel] should advise him to return the country’s [looted] money.”
