Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif leaves Pakistan for medical treatment in London

Sharif departed on a special plane from the city of Lahore, after a court granted him permission to leave for four weeks abroad for medical treatment. His conviction was earlier suspended for 8 weeks on medical grounds.

Pakistan’s ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted of corruption, left the country on Tuesday to travel to London for medical treatment.

In this Oct. 8, 2018, file photo, former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif leaves after appearing in a court in Lahore, Pakistan. Sharif, who was convicted of corruption, has left the country and is traveling to London for medical treatment. (AP)

Sharif departed on a special plane from the city of Lahore, after a court granted him permission to leave for four weeks abroad for medical treatment. His conviction was earlier suspended for eight weeks on medical grounds.

Local television stations broadcast footage of Sharif boarding the plane which was then shown in the air after takeoff.

The 69-year-old Sharif was sentenced to seven years in prison on corruption charges in 2019. After his health deteriorated last month, he was rushed from his cell to a hospital in Lahore. While in hospital, he suffered a minor heart attack.

Three times prime minister, Sharif was removed from office by the country’s Supreme Court in 2017 over corruption allegations. He denies the charge, saying he was politically victimized.

Elections later that year brought to power Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.