ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday underwent hernia surgery at Shifa International Hospital in the federal capital.
Abbasi, who is currently in judicial custody in connection with an ongoing inquiry into the 2014 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) scam, was shifted to the hospital on Nov 4 after he complained of hernia.
The PML-N leader visited the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Saturday for a brief medical check-up. According to PIMS spokesperson Dr. Wasim, he underwent checkup for hernia, heart, lungs and kidney stones.
On Monday, a medical board had recommended surgery, but Abbasi was not ready to be operated at PIMS. In a turn of events, he was shifted to Shifa hospital the same day after the Punjab government granted permission to do so
“The government is pleased to accord sanction for Abbasi’s shifting from Central Jail Rawalpindi to Shifa International Hospital Islamabad for ‘investigation and operation/treatment of bilateral inguinal hernia and cholecystitis'”, a notification issued from the Punjab home department had said at the time.
Abbasi is expected to stay in the medical hospital for a few more days.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested the senior PML-N leader on July 18 in the LNG case. A reference against Abbasi is yet to be filed, while his remand has been extended several times.
On Oct 28, Abbasi told the court that a medical board had advised him to have surgery. He had requested the court to allow him to have the surgery on his own expenses from a private hospital.
Later, the court had extended his remand till November 19.
