Dr Asim case: DSP cleared of evidence tampering charge
ATC rejects Rangers claim against police investigator
Dr Asim Hussain. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
An anti-terrorism court Thursday disposed of an application filed by the Rangers against a police officer investigating the terror facilitation case against former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain and others for allegedly tampering and misappropriating some ‘documentary evidences’ to favour the accused.
DSP Altaf Hussain was accused by the Rangers to have exhibited a biased attitude in his investigations and had allegedly excluded some evidence from the case to benefit Dr Asim.
Dr Asim, who also runs Ziauddin Hospitals, is accused of providing medical treatment to militants belonging to political, religious parties and banned outfits at his private health facilities while screening them off from law enforcers.
A number of politicians belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and newly formed Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) as well as a leader of a socio-political group Pasban have been nominated as co-accused in this case.
During Thursday’s hearing, the counsel for Rangers submitted a set of documents before the ATC-II judge, claiming them to be bills for the treatment given to ‘terrorists’ by Dr Asim.
The paramilitary force’s attorney maintained that DSP Hussain deliberately misplaced some of these documents to weaken the case.
But the officer refuted the allegations, maintaining that all documents accumulated during investigations were available in the prosecution data.
The judge observed that DSP Hussain was not biased in his investigations and the prosecution failed to prove that evidence was misappropriated. Noting that the matter is part of the case and will be checked again during the trial, hence, the charge against the officer was dismissed.
Meanwhile, pre-arrest bail of co-accused Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar of MQM, Qadir Patel of PPP and Anis Qaimkhani of PSP were extended as the hearing was adjourned till May 16.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2016.
An anti-terrorism court Thursday disposed of an application filed by the Rangers against a police officer investigating the terror facilitation case against former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain and others for allegedly tampering and misappropriating some ‘documentary evidences’ to favour the accused.
DSP Altaf Hussain was accused by the Rangers to have exhibited a biased attitude in his investigations and had allegedly excluded some evidence from the case to benefit Dr Asim.
Dr Asim, who also runs Ziauddin Hospitals, is accused of providing medical treatment to militants belonging to political, religious parties and banned outfits at his private health facilities while screening them off from law enforcers.
A number of politicians belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and newly formed Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) as well as a leader of a socio-political group Pasban have been nominated as co-accused in this case.
During Thursday’s hearing, the counsel for Rangers submitted a set of documents before the ATC-II judge, claiming them to be bills for the treatment given to ‘terrorists’ by Dr Asim.
The paramilitary force’s attorney maintained that DSP Hussain deliberately misplaced some of these documents to weaken the case.
But the officer refuted the allegations, maintaining that all documents accumulated during investigations were available in the prosecution data.
The judge observed that DSP Hussain was not biased in his investigations and the prosecution failed to prove that evidence was misappropriated. Noting that the matter is part of the case and will be checked again during the trial, hence, the charge against the officer was dismissed.
Meanwhile, pre-arrest bail of co-accused Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar of MQM, Qadir Patel of PPP and Anis Qaimkhani of PSP were extended as the hearing was adjourned till May 16.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2016.