Begum Kulsoom conscious, responding well to treatment: son

LONDON: Hussain Nawaz, son of former premier Nawaz Sharif, has said that that his mother Begum Kulsoom’s health is gradually improving, she is conscious and responding through slight movement of limbs.

Hussain told this correspondent that his mother opened her eyes after a month-long coma on the day Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz left for Pakistan to go to jail, after being convicted in Avenfield properties reference filed against them by the National Accountability Court (NAB).

He said: "My mother, Alhamdulliah, opened her eyes, on the day my father and sister were leaving for Pakistan. She is now conscious but she cannot fully move her limbs and cannot talk but she recognises her family and responds. She can slightly move her head, nods and answers. It’s frustrating that she moves her lips but cannot talk. May Allah help her gain complete recovery."

Hussain said that doctors were not committing anything and believed that it would take a lot of time for her to recover.

"Doctors are saying that she is being treated and she is responding. She is still on the ventilator. She has been operated on the throat and a tube has been inserted there. She is able to move her lips and we can see her moving her limbs. Doctors are saying that they are treating her gradually and she is responding well," he said.

"After the cardiac arrest her vital organs were affected badly, three drug lines were inserted into her heart and kidneys and at the same time her dialysis was happening too. Her lungs needed support too and they remain on the ventilator. Now it’s all about her recovery and rehabilitation and it will take time."

Hussain said that she does inquire about Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz and wants to know about them but the family is not telling her about the current situation in Pakistan.

"She is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and we are trying our best not to trouble her with news. There is no media or social media in the room where she is and she is not aware of the situation in Pakistan. We don’t want to disturb her."

Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was put on life support after the former first lady was admitted to the Harley Street Clinic where she suffered a cardiac arrest. She has been on life support since then.

The former first lady was diagnosed with lymphoma — a cancer of the lymph nodes — in August last year and has undergone several sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy so far.