Anti-corruption drive: Confidante of Zardari detained on graft charges

PPP calls Dr Asim Hussain’s detention political victimisation

KARACHI:

Law-enforcers in civvies on Wednesday picked up a close confidante of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Zardari in what appears to be a major graft-busting move, triggering an instant and angry response from the ex-president’s party.

The law enforcers apprehended Dr Asim Hussain, the incumbent chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Sindh chapter, and former federal minister, in connection with his alleged involvement in corruption cases, sources told The Express Tribune.

Hours later, the deputy managing director (MD) of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Shoaib Warsi, was also picked up in a similar fashion, as Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah claimed that the PPP was being ‘victimised’ in Sindh.

HEC sources said that nearly a dozen men plain clothes raided Dr Asim’s office in Karachi’s posh Clifton neighbourhood. “They quizzed Dr Asim for some time before taking him away to an undisclosed location for further questioning,” one source added.

The raid took place at a time when a committee of senior HEC officials was meeting at the commission’s Karachi office to select a vice-chancellor for the Dow University of Health Sciences.

“We heard about Dr Asim being apprehended as soon as the meeting concluded,” said Sindh Chief Minister’s Secretary for Education Dr Iqbal Durrani. “Some people at the HEC told us that some men in plain clothes questioned him for about half an hour before whisking him away.”

Even hours after the raid, no government agency or department, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), confirmed Dr Asim’s arrest. “We did not pick him up,” a NAB official told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity. “There is no inquiry against him at NAB.”

Although it was unclear whether Dr Asim was formally detained and, if so, on what charges, unconfirmed reports suggested he was involved in money laundering, land allotment scams and corruption in LNG and CNG deals. It was also reported that he would likely be released soon.

Dr Asim belongs to the influential family of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, a key political figure in Pakistan’s independence movement. Besides being the HEC Sindh chairman, Dr Asim is also the chairman of the Ziauddin Group of Hospitals in Karachi. He has also served as the petroleum minister under the PPP government in 2008.

Sources close to Dr Asim said he had recently returned to Pakistan after spending two and a half months in London and Dubai.

Sources told Daily Express that HEC Sindh Secretary Dr Mansoor Abbas has moved some important files and records to a safe place. According to them, there is a strong possibility that Dr Mansoor and his associates will be taken into custody for questioning.

SSGC deputy MD apprehended

Hours after reports of Dr Asim’s arrest emerged, law enforcers in civvies also picked up SSGC Deputy MD Shoaib Warsi near the company’s head office in Gulshan-e-Iqbal neighbourhood.

“Warsi was picked up by law enforcement officials in plain clothes as he was leaving for home from work,” a senior SSGC official confirmed. “We do not know who apprehended him or why, or where he is now,” he added.

According to sources, Warsi, like Dr Asim, has been taken into custody over his alleged involvement in cases of corruption. They suggested the two arrests were linked. As in Dr Asim’s case, no law enforcement or government agency claimed responsibility for Warsi’s arrest.

The arrest reportedly sent a shockwave through the SSGC higher management, particularly among officers attached with the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL) project. Sources told Daily Express two former SSGC MDs, both of them dual nationals, have already fled abroad.

PPP being victimised in Sindh: Shah

Dr Asim’s arrest drew sharp criticism from Khursheed Shah who said: “The PPP is facing victimisation in Sindh.”

“We condemn the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain,” he said in a statement.

Separately, Shah summoned a meeting of top PPP leaders to mull over party’s strategy regarding demands for the resignation of ECP’s members. The meeting was held at his residence in Islamabad. Sherry Rehman, Faisal Karim Kundi and Qamar Zaman Kaira were among the participants.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2015.