Dr Asim case: ATC reserves verdict in Kaimkhani bail plea

Three other accused politicians have also moved bail applications

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) reserved on Wednesday its verdict on the bail plea of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) president Anis Kaimkhani who is being held in a terror facilitation case involving former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain.

The ATC-II heard arguments by Kaimkhani's lawyer over his detention in the case. The lawyer argued that his client was innocent and never contacted Dr Asim for the reason mentioned in the case.

The PSP leader and other politicians belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have been accused of asking Dr Asim for favours to treat militants at his private health facilities.

Kaimkhani and others, including MQM mayoral nominee Wasim Akhtar, MQM's Rauf Siddiqui and PPP's Qadir Patel, were remanded to prison on July 19 after the same court dismissed their interim bails which they obtained from the Sindh High Court to avoid arrest. They court had ruled that the prosecution possessed sufficient material to connect the accused with the case.

Moving the bail plea again, the PSP leader's attorney argued that in the timeline mentioned for the commission of said offence, his client was living abroad. He left for Dubai and worked there after parting ways with the MQM, the lawyer submitted.

The Rangers' lawyer opposed the bail application and asserted that the allegations were corroborated with documents seized from the hospitals in the early stages of investigations.

Kaimkhani's name was mentioned in the hospitals' record as the referrer of the persons said to alleged terrorists, the lawyer contended, adding that around 330 people with criminal records were facilitated at the hospitals.

The judge, after listening to the argument, reserved the decision until August 3 as some other accused had also moved the same issue in the court. The judge remarked that once the court is done with hearing all such applications, it will announce the verdict.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.