Dr Asim leaves for London for treatment after name removed from ECL

The PPP leader is on bail in several cases relating to corruption and facilitation of terrorists

KARACHI: Former president Asif Ali Zardari's close aide Dr Asim Hussain left for London on Sunday for medical treatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the apex court's orders.

Dr Asim, who has been nominated in cases of corruption of billions of rupees and facilitation of terrorists, left for London on flight EK-601 Sunday afternoon.

On August 29, the Supreme Court allowed Dr Asim to go abroad for a month for medical treatment and ordered that his name be temporarily removed from the ECL. The top court granted him the permission to go abroad on a surety of Rs6 million.



Dr Asim, who is also the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Karachi president, is currently on bail in different cases. In April this year, he filed a complaint with the police against unidentified persons, claiming his life was in danger.

On March 29 this year, Dr Asim was granted bail in two corruption references filed against him by the country's top anti-graft watchdog.

A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench had granted bail to Dr Asim on medical grounds in two other cases that involved alleged corruption of Rs462 billion. He was ordered to deposit Rs2.5 million as surety in each case along with his original Pakistani and Canadian passports with the court official.



Dr Asim was released from prison after 19 months on March 31 on SHC's order after he submitted his Pakistani and Candian passports before the court.

Dr Asim was booked on the complaint of Rangers for allegedly harbouring and treating suspected terrorists at his hospital and was later indicted by an accountability court on May 6, 2016 in a National Accountability Bureau reference for alleged corruption of over Rs460 billion.