Islamabad, (Samajweekly) Terming former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an “absconder”, the Prime Minster’s Adviser on Accountability and Interior, Shahzad Akbar, has said that his four-week bail on medical grounds expired in December last year and the government had already approached the UK government for his extradition.
“The government is treating him (Sharif) as an absconder and has already sent a request to the British government to extradite him,” Akbar said while addressing a press conference in Lahore on Saturday.
“His strolling on London roads is a slap in the face of the judiciary and the government cannot allow this. There is nothing personal in it: we are only trying to implement the law and fulfil its requirements,” he maintained.
Akbar said that the government would request the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to pursue Sharif’s extradition as well and it was also looking into legalities of guarantees of Shahbaz Sharif, who was supposed to escort his elder brother back to Pakistan after his medical treatment, the Dawn reported.
Akbar also claimed that the ex-premier submitted fake lab reports.
He said that on October 29 last year the court granted Sharif eight-week bail for treatment within Pakistan and on November 16, he got a four-week permission to travel abroad for treatment. According to Akbar, the former Prime Minister was supposed to keep the court and the Punjab government updated about his treatment by sharing the details of the process of his treatment and test reports which he didn’t do.
He said that Sharif applied to the Punjab government for bail extension on February 19.
A medical board was constituted which sought details of medical procedures being done and test reports of Sharif, but nothing was shared.
He said that the law ministry, NAB and the prison department were informed about the bail expiry and rejection of its extension when the medical board got nothing as evidence.
He said the UK government was also informed about the development on March 2 with a request for Sharif’s extradition.
Commenting on recent pictures of Sharif, Akbar said that the former premier looked perfectly fine in the pictures being shared by his sons.
