The Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the Attorney General of Pakistan to assist the court on March 11 in response to a petition of Maryam Nawaz seeking one-time permission to travel abroad to inquire after her ailing father Nawaz Sharif.

"We want to hear point of view of attorney general on the issue in hand," Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, heading a two-judge bench, told Additional Attorney General Ch Ishtiaq A Khan.

The judge asked the law officer to apprise the bench of the availability of the top law officer. "The federal government has already filed its reply in this case," Ch Ishtiaq Khan said apparently to persuade the bench that the attorney general would have the same view as the government took in its reply. However, Justice Najafi observed that the bench would like to hear the AGP as well.

He however said the attorney general would definitely appear whenever required by the court. Meanwhile, the law officer told the bench that the Punjab government had decided not to extend stay of Nawaz Sharif abroad. Therefore, he said the petition by Maryam Nawaz stood infructuous.

Earlier, Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar argued on behalf the petitioner and stated that the doctors in London advised surgical procedure to Nawaz Sharif. He said the petitioner had already lost her mother and she had voluntarily returned to the country to serve sentence awarded by an accountability court.

The counsel argued that the petitioner was in a dire need to go abroad to attend to and inquire after the health of her ailing father. He referred to a Sindh High Court's decision wherein an under-trial prisoner was allowed to travel abroad once.