Whistling in the wind
Lately, some federal and Punjab ministers have taken to clamouring to bring back Nawaz Sharif from London to face the courts as the whole episode of his going abroad reeks of fraud. They have been peddling the narrative that the medical reports on the basis of which the courts gave the former premier leave to get treatment abroad were falsified. This seems a recent afterthought, given that the medical board that came to the conclusion that Nawaz Sharif’s serious and complicated illness could not be treated here, not the least because certain scientific and medical techniques and equipment were not available, included senior doctors from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s own Shaukat Khanum Hospital. The latter could hardly be accused of bias or a soft spot for Nawaz Sharif. Further, on the basis of the findings of the medical board, the government, as Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid has stated, allowed Nawaz Sharif’s treatment abroad on humanitarian grounds. The court order permitting the same carried the proviso that Nawaz Sharif should return to the country after the doctors abroad certify that he is well and can travel home. So far, the London doctors treating Nawaz Sharif have given no indication of having reached that ‘happy’ conclusion. This is being interpreted by the government as a breach of Nawaz Sharif’s bail conditions as no medical reports allegedly have been submitted by Nawaz Sharif from London as he was legally enjoined to do. Yasmin Rashid has also stated that the medical reports here were not ‘fudged’. In his usual display of irresponsible loose talk about his own government colleagues, including ministers, for which Fawad Chaudhry has reportedly been pulled up by the PM in a federal cabinet meeting some time ago, the redoubtable and irrepressible Minister for Science and Technology has now pooh-poohed Yasmin Rashid’s statements on the issue by underlining that as a gynecologist, she does not possess the requisite medical credentials to have an informed and credible view of Nawaz Sharif’s illness. In response, Yasmin Rashid has dismissed Fawad Chaudhry’s remarks by pointing out that he is not even a doctor and cannot understand the medical reports. As a ‘sideshow’, Yasmin Rashid embroiled the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the controversy by casting doubts on the medical reports they had accumulated while Nawaz Sharif was in jail here. NAB in turn has responded by pointing out that it does not hire doctors but relies on the expert opinions of those from the medical field. Over and above all this internal government squabbling and fray, PM Imran Khan has pronounced his government’s intent to use all legal means and options to bring Nawaz Sharif back.
Why has the government gone into overdrive on the issue? One explanation could be that Nawaz Sharif’s political activation of late in making contact with Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari means he is returning to the political battlefield, albeit from abroad. Since the opposition has been demonstrating for months now just how much it is in disarray, including its inability to hold a multi-party conference to discuss the strategy against the government, Nawaz Sharif’s outreach to his opposition colleagues seems to have put the wind up the government’s trousers. Rhetorical assertion and flourishes aside, which may only serve to ‘preserve’ the image of the government as an implacable anti-corruption fighter, all these calls to bring Nawaz Sharif back appear to have little leg to stand on. For one, unless the doctors in London give Nawaz Sharif a clean bill of health, his return appears difficult if not impossible. Second, as pointed out by federal minister Sheikh Rashid and others, bringing Nawaz Sharif back from London is a tall ask, considering that successive governments, including the present one, have not succeeded in bringing Altaf Hussain, Ishaq Dar or Salman Shahbaz Sharif back from London. The reasons are in plain sight of those not wearing partisan blinkers. Pakistan and the UK have no mutual extradition treaty. The British courts, should they be approached, are unlikely to rule adversely on a matter of a person’s health and life, particularly at the prospect of such a person being lodged in a jail cell immediately after return. In principle, PM Imran Khan’s desire to use legal means for the purpose is laudable, but the obstacles to such a course may mean all the government’s huffing and puffing on the issue is merely whistling in the wind.
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