NAB custody: Dr Asim’s remand extended by a week

Ex-minister claims to have suffered ‘serious injuries’ during detention

KARACHI:

An accountability court in Karachi extended on Thursday the remand of former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain over his alleged role in illegal appointments and award of contracts in the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

Separately, a higher court asked the Rangers to present a copy of the orders issued by an administrative judge to release Dr Asim.

The ex-petroleum minister, Sindh Higher Education Commission chairman and a close confidant of former president Asif Ali Zardari had been handed over to NAB by Judge Muhammad Saeed Qureshi of Accountability Court-IV on December 12 after the accountability body requested his custody for investigating corruption charges. On Thursday, he was brought before the court where NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Amjad Ali Shah and Investigating Officer Zameer Abbasi claimed that “major development had been made in the case” and presented related documents, including a charge sheet, memo of seizure and investigation diaries.

NAB had arrested the former federal minister from the Sindh High Court on Dec 11 after an administrative judge of anti-terrorism court allowed the accountability body to take him into custody after police released him under Section 497(2) of CrPC in a case relating to facilitating treatment and providing refuge to terrorists at his hospital. Before that, Dr Hussain had been arrested by Rangers on August 26 and placed into 90-day preventive detention. When that expired, he was placed in police custody.

Marks of torture?

As Dr Asim was escorted to the courts on Thursday, he paused briefly to show the media the ‘serious injuries’ he had developed during detention.  He pulled up his trousers to show scars on his legs as he explained how he fell every time he tried to walk. However, Dr Asim did not raise this inside the courtroom. Instead, his lawyer, Amir Raza Naqvi, claimed that his client was not “mentally alert” owing to “heavy medication” during his detention and opposed an extension in his remand.

Naqvi urged the court to order Dr Asim’s admission to the Aga Khan University Hospital for treatment at his own cost.

However, IO Abbasi argued that Dr Asim had been provided treatment in custody, but added that they had no objection to the former federal minister receiving treatment at a private hospital.

Extending Dr Asim’s detention, the judge directed the investigation officer to present him before the court on December 23 along with the final investigation report.

SHC seeks copy of ATC order

The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Thursday directed Rangers’ authorities to submit a copy of the order passed by an administrative judge of the anti-terrorism court on the police report to release Dr Asim for lack of evidence.

A division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, took up a petition moved by the paramilitary force against the police’s move to withdraw terror-related charges against the former petroleum minister.

Last week, DSP Altaf Hussain had filed his report to the administrative judge, declaring that Dr Asim was released under Section 497 (II) of the Criminal Procedure Code since no evidence relating to terror-related acts was found during investigation.

The Rangers, however, challenged the court’s orders arguing that they had enough evidence to charge Dr Asim for offences he had been charged with. The paramilitary force alleged that IO DSP Altaf Hussain had deliberately removed the sections of anti-terrorism laws while related evidence was also destroyed and urged the court to take action against the police officer. The bench directed the Rangers law officer to file a copy of the order at the next hearing and adjourned proceedings.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2015.