Fawad wants govt to appeal against LHC ruling on Nawaz's ECL plea

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday suggested approaching the Supreme Court against today’s LHC verdict of allowing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for treatment.

In a statement, he said this decision would be a blow to the country’s judicial system if it goes unchallenged.

He advised that the Supreme Court be approached to have its final opinion on the matter.

The minister said he has not seen such decisions over 17 years of his legal practice. It remains to be seen how many prisoners benefit from the verdict, he added.

If the Sharif family’s track record is anything to go by, he said, the former premier won’t return home.

Former finance minister Ishaq Dar is one such example, the minister said, adding he didn’t return to the country despite issuance of his red warrants. He added Dar has not yet taken oath as a senator.

Earlier this evening, the Lahore High Court let former premier Nawaz Sharif fly abroad for four weeks without furnishing an indemnity bond as demanded by the federal government.

The two-member bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqir Najafi, ordered the federal government to remove the name of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader from the ECL without setting any conditions.

The bench, which was hearing the plea filed by PML-N seeking unconditional removal of Nawaz Sharif’s name from ECL, also maintained that the former prime minister can extend his stay if his health required so.