PML-N approaches court over conditions on Sharif's travel

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has rejected the Pakistan government's conditional decision to allow his brother and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad for medical treatment, saying that the party's legal team has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the decision.

The announcement was made while Shehbaz Sharif was addressing a press conference here on Thursday, reports Dawn news.

A two-member bench of the LHC would hear the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President's petition seeking removal of the former premier's name from the Exit Control List.

The petition also asks that the court to declare the condition for indemnity bonds as illegal.

The high court has already issued a notice to the government to submit a written reply to the petition. The hearing was adjourned until Friday.

The development comes after the government on Tuesday announced that Nawaz Sharif would be given a "one-time" permission to travel abroad for his medical treatment for a period of four weeks, adding that the permission would be subject to the Sharif family submitting an indemnity bond "to the tune of 7-7.5 billion Pakistani rupees".

In Thursday's press conference, Shehbaz Sharif said the government by asking the PML-N to submit indemnity bonds to secure permission for Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad was, in fact, demanding "ransom" and the decision was not acceptable in any condition.

He said the "political game" staged by Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team regarding the PML-N supremo's health was condemnable.