Umer Sharif is under treatment at a private hospital in Karachi for multiple ailments and had requested Prime Minister Imran Khan for expediting US visas for his surgery abroad.
Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab confirmed the development and thanked the US consulate for issuing visas.
“Even happier to inform that the visa has been issued just now. Thank u to the team at US Consulate for the support extended,” he tweeted. He added that the air ambulance will arrive tomorrow.
Meanwhile, SAPM Shahbaz Gill said that the family of Umer Sharif has thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for his cooperation in making the visa processes easier.
“The PM is praying for his early recovery,” he said.
Sindh releases Rs40m fund
Addressing a press conference along with Sindh Education and Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah and renowned comedian Umer Sharif’s son Jawad Umer, Murtaza Wahab had on Wednesday said that the Sindh government had sanctioned a grant of Rs40 million for his medical treatment.
He said that the departure of Umer Sharif and his family was expected in the next 24 to 36 hours once the American visas were issued to them.
“The entire Sindh government stood with the ailing comedian and have released funds required for foreign treatment of the renowned entertainer,” he had said.
Wahab had said Sharif was like an asset to the country. “As we got to know about Umer Sharif becoming ill, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that they would never leave alone the person in times of his hardship who had spent his entire life to make other people laugh.”
Endowment fund
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Education and Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah had said that the ruling Pakistan People’s Party had never been in the habit of publicising if a helping hand was extended to a deserving member of the artiste community.
He had said the provincial government has been managing an endowment fund and also issues health insurance cards to ensure in the best possible manner welfare of the people in the province associated with fine arts and literature.
The Sindh government had always done its best to help out the deserving artistes, he had said, adding that Sharif was a versatile artist and his talent was simply unmatchable.
He had added that a body comprising eminent persons had been supervising the endowment fund meant to disburse stipends among the deserving members of the artiste community.
Umer Sharif family thanks Sindh govt
Jawad said he was thankful to the Sindh government, especially its culture department, for taking timely steps to ensure treatment of his ailing father abroad. He added that his father would leave for the US for treatment via an air ambulance arranged by the Sindh government once he got the visa.
He appealed to the media not to share pictures and video clips of his father under treatment as only a smiling face of Sharif had been seen by the public.
