LAHORE: With a little sign of improvement in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s health, Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday openly complained to the establishment about its decision to “fully support” Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In a rare articulation of his feeling when it comes to the establishment, Shahbaz Sharif said: “Despite having 100 per cent support of the institutions, the inept government of Imran Khan failed to deliver. We were not even been given 10pc support of the institutions. I am surprised to see the kind of support the Imran Khan government is enjoying from all institutions as there has been no such example in Pakistan’s history.

“Without any fear, I would like to tell that had the PML-N governments under Nawaz Sharif been given 10 to 15pc or just a ‘push’ from the institutions, Pakistan would have progressed by leaps and bounds.”

He was addressing the PML-N lawmakers who gathered in Model Town here with regard to the party’s preparations for Oct 31 ‘Azadi March’.

Drop in platelet count of Nawaz prompts doctors to opt for ‘aggressive medication’; Maryam admitted to hospital

Shahbaz Sharif said: “Imran Khan has come to power through rigging in 2018 elections. Imran Khan Niazi is arrogant and has no vision to address issues the country is facing today. He is only good at ball tampering and a couple of other things and knows nothing else. He never gave respect to anyone and is a selfish man.”

He added that the people were cursing Imran Khan for making their lives miserable and wanted the “looters” back who made this country progress on every front.

Addressing senior party leaders and lawmakers from Punjab, the PML-N president said: “If you want to defeat the arrogance and ineptness of Imran Khan, unemployment and poverty, you have to reach Islamabad on Oct 31 where we will give him (Khan) a befitting reply and present our demands.” He also asked the participants to mobilise workers for a ‘big show’ in Islamabad.

Nawaz Sharif, who was admitted to the Services Hospital on Monday, showed no sign of improvement. With dropping of his platelet counts, a six-member medical board, headed by Services Hospital Principal Ayaz Mahmood, is still struggling to diagnose reasons of his declining health. A board member told Dawn that his platelet counts again dropped on Wednesday from 29,000 to 7,000, prompting the medics to opt for “aggressive medication” to improve them, besides transfusion of platelets.

“Since Tuesday seven mega units of the platelets have been transfused to the patient and the medical board is finding it a challenging task to find out the reasons for a sudden fall in the counts,” the board member said, adding that on Wednesday evening it (board) called leading haematologists of the city to seek their help in this regard. “However, the medical board remained inconclusive regarding exact diagnosis which led to the deteriorating health of Nawaz Sharif,” he said, adding that the board again sent his blood samples to the laboratories of a public hospital and the private one for diagnosis of the main cause of “fast dropping of the platelet counts”. He said the former premier was feeling weak due to “instability” in platelet count.

Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid told a presser that Nawaz Sharif’s condition was “stable” and the government was providing him best treatment. She said that personally she had no issue if Mr Sharif wanted to go abroad for treatment, but he had not expressed his wish in this regard. Dr Rashid also met Mr Sharif and conveyed concerns of PM Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar about his health.

PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hus­sain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Perv­aiz Elahi telephoned Shahbaz Sharif and inquired after the health of Nawaz Sharif.

In a tweet, Special Assistant to the PM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said the prime minister had directed the authorities to provide best medical facilities to Nawaz Sharif. “The prime minister prayed for his recovery and expressed best wishes for him.”

PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal said Imran Khan Niazi was responsible for the poor health of Nawaz Sharif. “The hatred of the PTI government is also reflective of its inhumane actions against Maryam Nawaz, Rana Sanaullah Khan and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.”

Maryam meets Nawaz

Incarcerated PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz met Nawaz Sharif at the Services Hospital after the Punjab government accepted her request in this respect.

“After an hour-long meeting between the father and the daughter, the hospital administration offered her check-up at the hospital because she had not been feeling well for the last few days,” a source said. He said Maryam had accepted the administration’s offer to be admitted to the hospital. Doctors conducted her blood tests late in the night and her treatment would begin in the light of the test results.

Earlier in the day, an accountability court turned down a verbal request of Maryam Nawaz for an hour-long meeting with her jailed father at the hospital.

Asif Chaudhry & Wajih Ahmad Sheikh also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019