Pakistan’s ailing former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, has delayed his departure to London to seek medical treatment after the government set conditions for allowing him to travel abroad.
Sharif was expected to be flown in an air ambulance to a London clinic after the cabinet on Tuesday decided to take him off a no-fly list.
But Law Ministe, Farogh Naseem, said on Wednesday Sharif’s family would have to submit a surety bond of seven-billion Pakistani rupees (44.8 million dollars) to leave the country.
“We can’t let him go out of the country … The bond will be a guarantee that he will return,” Naseem said in Islamabad.
Sharif, who was serving a jail term after conviction on corruption charges but was given bail on medical grounds, rejected the government’s condition, his aide Atta Tarar said.
Three-time ex-premier, Sharif, 69, suffers from several medical conditions including chronic diabetes, cardiovascular issues and a dangerous drop in his blood platelet count.
Sharif, thought to be the strongest advocate of civilian supremacy in Pakistan, became prime minister three times, but could not complete his tenure even once.
His tussle with powerful generals, who ruled the country for half of its existence, was always at the heart of his removal.
He was removed by the country’s Supreme Court in 2017 after a controversial trial on corruption allegations.
