Jailed Nawaz Sharif 'on verge of kidney failure', say reports; ex-Pakistan PM suffering from chest pain, urinary issues

Incarcerated ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is suffering from chest pain and urinary infection and is on the “verge of kidney failure”, Pakistani news media reported. A team of doctors from the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology, headed by its chief executive Major General (retired) Dr Azhar Mehmood Kayani, found that the water levels in Sharif’s body were very low, which resulted in his erratic heartbeat, reported  The Express Tribune. The urea quantity in his blood flow has also increased, which could lead to kidney failure. The medical team’s report suggested that the PML-N supremo, who is currently lodged at Adiala jail, be shifted to a hospital at the earliest. [caption id=“attachment_4795371” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Reuters[/caption] According to _ Dunya News, i_nterim Punjab law minister Zia Haider Rizvi confirmed the development but said the authorities were yet to receive a formal application. He said that the provincial authorities will constitute a medical board and take their suggestions once they receive the application. Quoting jail sources,  Geo News reported that it was the heat led to dehydration in Sharif’s body. The news report also added that the Adiala jail superintendent has written to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS Hospital) to set up a medical board in light of Sharif’s health. On Saturday, it was reported that Sharif’s son-in-law Captian (retired) Safdar, who is also at Adiala jail, fell ill during a meeting with his legal team, reported  The Express Tribune. Sharif is jailed in a separate cell in a ‘Better Class’ portion of the Adiala jail and has been issued a steel bed, table, chair, newspapers, sheets for his personal bed, personal clothes, one ceiling fan, two bracket fans and toiletries. He has also been allowed to keep a 21-inch TV. Sharif, 68, and his daughter Maryam, 44, were arrested in Lahore on 13 July on their arrival from London after an accountability court found them guilty over his family’s ownership of four luxury flats in London. They were later taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by an accountability court to 10 and seven years in prison respectively for corruption charges linked to Panama Papers scandal. Sharif, a three-time prime minister, remains popular, especially in Punjab, the most populous and electorally significant province. With inputs from PTI