Pak Top Court Rejects Nawaz Sharif Plea For Permanent Bail

Pakistan's Supreme Court today dismissed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's plea seeking permanent bail on medical grounds, saying that it did not see an immediate threat to his life.

Nawaz Sharif, 69, was granted a six-week interim bail by the court for medical treatment in March. Last month, he filed the petition for permanent bail, stating that he was suffering from anxiety and depression that may have led to "sudden death".

A three-member bench headed that heard Nawaz Sharif's petition also rejected his plea seeking permission to get treatment in the UK.

After hearing the arguments and seeing the medical report, the bench turned down the petition by observing that there was nothing new in the medical reports that suggested immediate threat to his life.

"We gave him six weeks bail - as recommended by five medical boards and 31 doctors - for angiography, but the time was spent conducting evaluations and tests," the bench said. The court, however, ordered jail authorities to take him to the hospital as and when required.

Nawaz Sharif' s lawyer then requested the court to extend the bail for another eight weeks but it was also turned down by the court.

After the rejection of petition, he would have to go back to jail on May 7 when the six-week bail term would expire.