Pakistan’s former president and army chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s condition has been declared satisfactory by doctors in the UAE, increasing chances of his return to Pakistan.

The former military strongman is currently under treatment in Dubai for a rare condition called ‘amyloidosis’ for which he had been hospitalized over a month ago.

Family sources say that doctors have allowed the septugenarian to return home after improvement in his health.

There has been talk of Musharraf’s return to Pakistan but that is dependent on the panel of doctors. It has to determine whether Musharraf can handle the journey back home via an air ambulance.

While Pakistani media was abuzz with reports of Musharraf’s deteriorating health, the family issued a clarification saying that he was “going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible and his organs are malfunctioning.”

Sources said that the government of Pakistan will be contacted in this regard after the decision of the doctors.

There is no known cure for amyloidosis - the name for a group of rare, serious conditions caused by a build-up of an abnormal protein called amyloid in organs and tissues throughout the body. There are treatments to stop more of the abnormal proteins being produced and treat symptoms. Treatment depends upon the kind of amyloidosis. In most cases, the treatment involves chemotherapy.

Earlier this week, the spokesperson of the Pakistan military said that there was consensus in the military leadership on his return to the country.

Later on the same day, PML-N’s de facto head Nawaz Sharif - who was ousted from power in a coup by Musharraf in 1999 - said that he had no personal enmity with the man who deposed him while urging the government to facilitate Musharraf’s return.

A special court had convicted Musharraf, who has been living in self-imposed exile in the UAE since 2016, of high treason and awarded him the death penalty in December 2019.

The charges against Musharraf – who was sentenced in absentia for violating Article 6 of the Constitution – stemmed from the imposition of a state of emergency in 2007. A three-judge special court — comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, Justice Nazar Akbar and Justice Shahid Karim — had handed down the 2-1 split verdict.

The Lahore High Court overturned the verdict in January 2020 while declaring the formation of the three-member special court bench “unconstitutional”. The LHC verdict was challenged in the country’s top court.