News
Sher Afgan to be flown to London for treatment
ISLAMABAD Feb 19 : Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Sher Afgan is being flown to London for treatment of his ailing heart as three of his blood arteries have been found damaged.
Dr Niazi might be taken to Cromwell Hospital next week any time after doctors of Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) Rawalpindi advise his treatment in London.
UK government will issue visa to Dr Afgan Monday. His elder son Amjad Khan Niazi and nephew Khuram Khan Niazi would accompany him to London. Government of Pakistan will pay the expenses of Dr Afgan’s treatment. Pakistan High Commission in London has been asked to make all necessary arrangement for his treatment.
Dr Niazi said that he was thankful to all his friends, colleagues, well-wishers, ministers, MPs and other who came to inquire after his health.
However, he said he was moved with the gestures shown first by the Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and then President General Pervez Musharraf. He said both took personal interest in his treatment both at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, so far about 5,000 people from district Mianwali have visited Dr Niazi in AFIC since he was hospitalised after a heart attack in the cabinet meeting that took the decision to defer construction of Kalabagh dam.
His arch political opponents—Punjab Revenue Minister Gul Hameed Rokeri and Minister Sibtain Khan whom he defeated in recent local bodies polls were first among thousands of people who rushed to enquire after his health. Both told Dr Afgan that although they had serious political differences with him, they still respected him a lot because of his personal character and honesty.
Dr Afgan’s bold and uncompromising stand on the Kalabagh dam had led to dramatic rise in his popularity at home. People of Mianwali are quite sensitive to the dam, as it might bring about massive socio-economic changes in their lives once work on the dam gets underway. After his defiance, they all regard Dr Niazi as a champion of their rights.
The Kalabagh dam was deferred, but people of his hometown openly declare that Dr Niazi lived up to their expectations by fighting a fierce battle all alone having no support of other ministers from Punjab.
An interesting thing being witnessed in the AFIC is that daily about 100 people from Mianwali visit him in the hospital ward. These visitors are given meals twice a day in the hospital park.
But, friends and well-wishers of Dr Afgan have not allowed his family members to spend even a single penny on arrangements for provision of food as certain individuals had taken this responsibility on their own shoulders.
A visitor had even brought two sacrificial animals within the hospital premises to offer as a sacrifice. An interesting situation developed when the village folks insisted that before their sacrifice, Dr Niazi should touch them as a blessing. Dr Niazi and the hospital staff had to spend a lot of time to convince the simple but loving folks to take the animals away from the hospital premises and perform the ritual elsewhere.
Likewise, many people of Mianwali returned angry with hospital administration when they were not allowed to meet him.
Dr Niazi is also facing another problem. In line with centuries old traditions of rural areas almost every visitor from Mianwali wants to give him cash ranging between Rs500-1000. An embarrassed and equally moved Dr Niazi does not accept money from the poor souls as he tells them that his treatment was free and they should rather spend the amount on distribution of ‘gur’ among the poor.