Dr Asim tells SC he is being made a scapegoat

Apex court observes it will not spare those guilty of creating mess in health sector

ISLAMABAD: Former president of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) Dr Asim Hussain has told the Supreme Court that he is being made a scapegoat for political reasons in relation to mushroom growth of private medical colleges during his tenure as head of the regulatory body.

Complying with the court’s order, Dr Asim Hussain on Wednesday appeared before the apex court’s three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar.



The chief justice told him that finger was being pointed at him for maladministration in the PMDC and that it was alleged that during his tenure a private medical college had to pay Rs200 million for getting registered.

He asked Dr Asim to assist the court to overcome shortcomings in the health sector. However, the CJP made it clear that those who are found guilty of creating mess in the health sector will not be spared.

Dr Asim told the court that his was the fourth generation associated with the health sector as his grandfather, Dr Ziauddin, had first formed a medical college in 1957. “However, I am being targeted for political reasons,” he added.

Later, the PMDC’s counsel Akram Sheikh presented his arguments against the judgment of the Lahore High Court (LHC) which annulled the PMDC’s Central Induction Policy and allowed the private medical colleges to carry on with their regular admission procedures during the upcoming session.

The bench will resume hearing of the case today (Thursday).

Meanwhile, the same bench while hearing a plea of Dawood Ghazanvi expressed wonder why a law to give voting rights to overseas Pakistanis is not passed by parliament.

“Why the overseas Pakistanis are being discriminated against?” he asked, expressing amazement over the parliament’s refusal to give them the right. “However, legislation is the job of parliament and perhaps, the court cannot ask the legislature to make the law,” he added.



Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana told the bench on behalf of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that giving right of vote to overseas Pakistanis is not possible. The bench adjourned the hearing till next week.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday also approached the SC to grant millions of Pakistanis settled in 159 countries across the globe the right to vote. The application was moved by lawyers Anwar Mansoor Khan and Chaudhry Faisal Hussain.

The PTI chief Imran Khan, Dr Arif Alvi, Sardar Azhar Tariq and Ruxana Bhatti jointly moved the application requesting the apex court to declare that the “overseas Pakistanis are citizens of Pakistan and it is their fundamental right to utilise their right of franchise whether in Pakistan or abroad”.

The PTI requested the court to direct the ECP to allow them to cast their precious votes in the general elections.  The CJP while hearing appeal in his chamber also admitted the PTI’s petition, seeking audit of PML-N and PPP accounts.  The court will take up the PTI’s petition today [Thursday].