Interior minister says Maryam Nawaz can travel abroad if she gets ill

Federal Minister for Interior Ijaz Shah on Tuesday said that even Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, would be allowed to travel abroad if she was unwell.

Talking to a news channel, Shah said that there was no difference of opinion in the cabinet over the issue of removing Nawaz Sharif’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

“Nawaz Sharif is being allowed to go abroad on humanitarian grounds,” Shah said, adding that according to the doctors, the former prime minister’s health was in critical condition and his treatment was not possible in Pakistan.

“Nawaz is not going out of the country on a permanent basis. He will return after recovering from illness,” Shah said, dispelling the notion that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader was being given relief under a deal.

He added that all the ministers were in favour of allowing Nawaz to go abroad for treatment.

Commenting on the ongoing Azadi March, Shah said, “We are giving Maulana Fazlur Rehman so many facilities that he will forget his demand for the prime minister’s resignation.”

The minister, however, conceded that the JUI-F chief was not going to leave Islamabad anytime soon. “We have given him water, electricity and medical support,” he said, adding that Maulana Fazl had grown fond of Islamabad.