Govt seeking ransom for allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment: Shehbaz Sharif

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said in the name of indemnity bonds, as condition for granting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif permission to go abroad for medical assistance, the government was seeking ransom from him.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Shehbaz Sharif said the political game that Prime Minister Imran Khan had staged was beyond his understanding. Nawaz’s health was above any condition, he said.
He claimed that in the last one and a half years, the ruling government had reversed the developments made by the previous government as well, let alone make new development.
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The PML-N president said the decision that came on Wednesday, it said that indemnity bond should be paid by Shehbaz or Nawaz.
“They want to lead the nation into deception through this bond by showing the people that they are drawing this money from the PML-N leadership, which is totally unacceptable to Nawaz Sharif, me and the party,” he said. He said it had been 20 days since Imran Khan was politicising a humanitarian matter.
On Imran Khan’s claim that the opposition party leaders were seeking the NRO, Shehbaz Sharif said neither he could take nor give the NRO.
He said the PML-N was immediately going to move the court against the government decision.
“When the court has granted him bail, what could be worse of the government than to demand an indemnity bond,” he said adding that the PML-N could not accept the demand of indemnity bond in any situation.
Shehbaz said Imran will be responsible if anything happened to his big brother.
On Nov 13, the federal government had asked Nawaz Sharif to deposit indemnity bonds worth seven billion rupees before leaving the country for four weeks.
Addressing the press conference after meeting of the sub-committee in Islamabad, Minister for Law Farogh Naseem had said Nawaz Sharif had initially been given permission to go abroad for treatment for four weeks, however this time period could be extended later viewing the health condition.
He had said the former PM would have to deposit surety bonds of Rs7 billion in this regard. He had said the sub-committee had informed the federal cabinet that he was critically unwell. The decision has been taken on humanitarian ground and the permission letter would be issued in this regard anytime today, he maintained.