Nawaz Sharif is kept in 'abysmal conditions' in jail, says brother

Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is being kept in "abysmal conditions" in the high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, claims his brother Shahbaz Sharif.

In a letter written to Hasan Askari Rizvi, the caretaker chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz claims that the former prime minister has been denied a newspaper and a bed and is being forced to use a dirty washroom.

Shahbaz paid his brother a visit on Saturday (14).

"I want to draw your attention to the abysmal conditions under which Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is languishing in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi," he wrote, reported news agency PTI.

"It was noted during my visit that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was not even given a newspaper to read, his mattress was on the floor and the washroom at his disposal was in a dirty despicable condition, with no air conditioner in his room," the letter said.

Nawaz is a heart and diabetic patient and the medical facility at Adiala prison is not up to the mark, added Shahbaz, who is also president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

"It is very unfortunate that Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, three time Prime Minister of Pakistan, is being treated in such a shabby manner. This situation is unacceptable given the minimum facilities he is entitled to as former Prime Minister," he wrote.

Shahbaz has requested that Nawaz be granted access to his personal doctor who could visit him twice a day to administer medicine.

Earlier reports indicated that Nawaz was granted B-class facilities that would give him access to facilities like bed, TV, air conditioner, newspaper and home cooked food.

Nawaz and his daughter Maryam were arrested on July 13 as soon as they landed in Lahore from London. They were found guilty by an accountability court over the ownership of four luxury flats in London. Nawaz has been sentenced to 10 years and Maryam to 7 years in prison.