Sharif rules out returning to Pak while his wife is on ventilator

LONDON: Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif has ruled out returning to Pakistan while his wife is on a ventilator at a hospital in London.

Kulsoom, 68, was admitted to hospital in London in August 2017 after doctors found she was suffering from throat cancer. She has been undergoing treatment since then.

On June 14, she was shifted to the hospital’s ICU after she suffered a cardiac arrest and has been on life support since.

“Can I think of going back to Pakistan under such circumstances when Kulsoom is on ventilator? Do you think I should return to Pakistan leaving behind my wife in such a condition?” Sharif asked reporters.

On June 14, Sharif and his daughter Maryam left for London after being granted a brief exemption from the ongoing corruption trial against them.

The Sharif family is facing a trial at an Islamabad court on corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers scandal, disqualifying Sharif and directing the anti-graft watchdog to launch an inquiry.

Expressing his regret over not being able to see her while she was conscious, Sharif said he planned on a four-day visit but was unsure about returning to Pakistan due to Kulsoom’s health. He said that the matter will be further deliberated upon after consultations with the doctors.