Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan struck a callous note on Monday on the health of Nawaz Sharif, saying he could not guarantee anyone’s life, after the Islamabad High Court asked the government to “take responsibility” for the jailed former premier.
“Today I read a news that the court has asked the federal and provincial governments whether they can guarantee Nawaz Sharif’s life by tomorrow.
“I cannot even guarantee my life by tomorrow, so how can I give a guarantee for someone else’s life,” Imran Khan asked at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Baba Guru Nanak University at Nankana Sahib, Dawn reported.
On Saturday, the high court granted Nawaz Sharif post-arrest interim bail until Tuesday in the Al Azizia graft case. Nawaz is currently being treated at the Lahore Services Hospital for his extremely low platelet count.
During the proceedings, the federal government had refused to take responsibility for Sharif’s physical well-being.
High court Chief Justice Athar Minallah had observed that if the provincial and federal governments had performed their duties, the matter would have not come before the court.
When the interior secretary had informed the Islamabad HC that the federal government would not take any responsibility of the former premier’s health, the court expressed displeasure and said “don’t play politics with [the] court” as the law defines certain responsibilities of the state.
Imran Khan said on Monday that life and death are in God’s hands and humans can only try.
“The federal government, especially the provincial government, has fully tried. We provided the best medical care to Nawaz Sharif,” he said, adding that a doctor had been brought from Karachi and he had also sent the chief executive of Shaukat Khanum Hospital to check on Nawaz’s health.
“We can only try. Humans cannot give a guarantee of life and death. We can try (and) we fully tried,” he reiterated.
