Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were released on parole early on Wednesday to attend the funeral of Sharif’s wife Begum Kulsoom in Lahore, reported The Express Tribune.
A notification issued by the Punjab Home Department said the three were released for 12 hours to attend the funeral. Television footage showed Sharif, Maryam and Safdar being taken out of Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in a motorcade.
Kulsoom died on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for lymphoma at the Harley Street Clinic in London. She was 68.
Prime Minister Imran Khan offered his condolences, saying the government “as per law” would provide assistance to the family, reported Geo News. “She was a courageous woman of great dignity and confronted her disease with fortitude,” he tweeted.
Kulsoom was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma in August 2017, and underwent several operations and at least five chemotherapy sessions. In June, she suffered a cardiac arrest and was put on a ventilator.
The family had reported a slight improvement in her condition on July 11, a day before Sharif and their daughter left for Pakistan after being sentenced to 10 years in jail in a corruption case.
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