New bench constituted to hear Dr Asim’s bail plea

Former petroleum adviser accused of facilitating 'terrorists'

KARACHI: After much back and forth, a new bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) has been constituted to hear the bail application of Dr Asim Hussain and others in a case relating to alleged sheltering and treatment of 'terrorists' at his private health facilities in Karachi.

The bench, comprising Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Abdul Malik Gaddi, will take up the bail plea of the former petroleum adviser on November 1 after some judges earlier distanced themselves from the case on different occasions. This is the fifth bench constituted to hear the plea, said Dr Asim's lawyer, Advocate Qadir Khan Mandokhel.

On Friday, Mandokhel had moved an application seeking urgent hearing of his bail plea, filed on July 4 this year after the Rangers handed over his custody to the police following months-long detention.

Mandokhel said his client needed to travel abroad for treatment of a spinal cord issue as a medical board had recommended him to undergo surgery — a facility not available in the country.

He argued that the applicant was suffering as he was being kept in custody in connection with the case, which is based on fake documents. He recalled that while the police had already acquitted him of the charge under Section 173 of the CPrC, the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts took cognisance of the alleged offence.

Afterwards, the bail plea could not be heard as judges withdrew themselves.

Disposing of the urgent plea, the divisional bench fixed the hearing on November 1.

Power of attorney case

Meanwhile, another bench granted time to the federal law officer till November 3 for filing reply of the foreign secretary on a petition against the rejection of Dr Asim's power of attorney application.

The petitioner, Dr Asim, said he wanted to give his power of attorney to his son Ammad, a Canadian national, in respect of Zia Medical Centre in Dubai and his declared bank accounts in the Middle Eastern city. The petitioner said in his request that the anti-terrorism court had allowed him to visit the camp office of the Foreign Ministry in Karachi to sign and execute the power of attorney in presence of the competent authority. He claimed that while he was taken to the camp office where he signed the document, the relevant authorities refused to attest/verify the same.

Dr Asim said the officials informed him that there were various cases pending against him and that attesting such a power of attorney would affect them. He sought direction for the ministry to attest and authenticate the power of attorney so it could take effect.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.