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Pakistan Court Grants Brief Respite to Critically Ill Sharif

Ayesha Tanzeem

   ISLAMABAD - A court in Pakistan has ordered former prime minister Nawaz
   Sharif's prison sentence suspended for eight weeks so he can receive
   medical treatment.

   He is serving a seven-year sentence in a corruption case that he and
   his party say is politically motivated.
   The former premier has been suffering serious health problems in jail,
   and his family and party accused the government of Prime Minister Imran
   Khan of denying him proper care.
   "He is fighting for his life in a hospital and the responsibility for
   his poor health lies squarely on Mr. Imran Khan, who publicly announced
   that he will withdraw all facilities," Ahsan Iqbal, a senior leader of
   Sharif's party Pakistan Muslim League, said Tuesday.
   Iqbal accused Khan of withdrawing critical medical services and denying
   Sharif's personal physician unrestricted access to his patient.
   "He [Khan] has been settling scores with him, political scores, at the
   cost of his [Sharif's] health," Iqbal said.

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