Nawaz unable to meet visitors at Jati Umra due to ill-health: reports

LAHORE: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was unable to meet visitors arriving at Jati Umra to condole his wife, Begum Kulsoom’s, death due to deterioration in health on Wednesday.

The reports suggest that Hamaz Shehbaz, Salman Shehbaz and Asif Kirmani are meeting the guests as Nawaz is unable to due to ill-health.

A large number of relatives, party leaders, workers, politicians and well-wishers have been visiting Jati Umra to condole Kulsoom’s death with the grieving family.

Media representatives are present in large numbers outside the house, however, journalists are not being allowed inside.

Security has also been tightened around Jati Umra and traffic wardens have been deployed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Earlier in the day, the government decided to extend Nawaz Sharif, his daughter, Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar’s parole by three days to attend Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s funeral.

Nawaz, Maryam and Capt (r) Safdar were escorted by police from Adiala Jail to the Nur Khan Airbase from where they were brought to Lahore via a special flight at 2:30 am on Wednesday.

The three were released from Adiala Jail late Tuesday night on parole to attend the funeral of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz who passed away earlier on Tuesday. They were initially released on a 12-hour parole.

Kulsoom Nawaz, 68, died after months in a coma. She was diagnosed with lymphoma last year, barely a month after Nawaz Sharif was removed from office by the Supreme Court, which ordered him to face trial. Earlier this year, Nawaz Sharif was in UK with Kulsoom when the court handed him a 10-year jail term and sentenced his heir Maryam to seven years in prison over the purchase of luxury flats in London in the 1990s.