Asad Umar clarifies statement on decision to send Nawaz Sharif abroad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Sunday said that his statement regarding the decision to allow convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif to fly to London for medical treatment was taken out of context.

“A spin is being given to an answer of mine regarding Nawaz Sharif’s exit abroad. The discussion was about whether the PM takes decisions or someone else imposes decisions. I stated that the PM takes decisions. I was asked about the Nawaz Sharif exit decision in that context,” the minister said in a tweet.

The federal minister further said that sending PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to abroad was a “collective decision and was decided in the federal cabinet.”

“As stated in the programme, there was consultation and was finally decided in cabinet. No external force imposed it on us, hence I said decided by PM. I also voted to let him go,” he added.

As stated in the program, there was consultation & was finally decided in cabinet. No external force imposed it on us, hence i said decided by PM. I also voted to let him go. Later it became clear that medical reports on the basis of which decision was taken were falsified(2/2)

— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) January 23, 2022

The minister said that later it became clear that medical reports on the basis of which decision was taken were ‘falsified’.

According to the media reports wherein Umar was quoted as saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan “solely” took the decision to allow the PML-N supremo to travel to London.

It is pertinent to mention here that Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted over corruption by the accountability court, had flown to London in November 2019, after the federal government allowed him to fly abroad for medical treatment.