The Supreme Court on Friday rejected ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s plea seeking an extension in his six-week bail — which expires on May 7 — in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.
The court, in its short order, also rejected a related plea seeking permission for Nawaz’s treatment in the United Kingdom.
The court remarked that Nawaz was given six weeks for medical treatment, but it seemed he had spent the entire time in tests alone.
During today’s hearing, the chief justice remarked that the six-week bail was granted on the basis of a report from a medical board which had recommended angiography. With the latest plea for permission to go abroad, the counsel had exceeded from the scope of the initial petition, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said.
The counsel for Nawaz, Khawaja Harris Ahmed, had argued earlier that, according to the written order of the court, his client cannot apply for bail before surrendering himself to the authorities. He said that this aspect of the written order had some contradictions with the verbal orders issued in the case.
To this, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah reminded the counsel that anything said by judges before signing their verdict is called an observation and not a ruling.
The counsel then asked the court to extend his client’s bail for eight more weeks. He argued that the health condition of his client was deteriorating. He said that the medical reports of Nawaz suggested an angiography.
To this, the chief justice responded that an angiography needs an hour, whereas the court had granted six weeks.
The counsel argued said that the blockage in Nawaz Sharif’s carotid artery had increased by 50 per cent, “which is an alarming sign”. He further said that a cardiac MRI is used across the world as an alternative for angiography but the process is not offered anywhere in the country.
The chief justice rejected the argument, saying that the doctors quoted in court had not said anything in this regard that may be considered to be a final assessment of Nawaz’s medical condition.
However, the court turned down the objections and later denied the plea through a short order.
