Zardari granted bail on health grounds

PPP co-chairperson will be shifted to Karachi for treatment, says Bilawal

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday more than five months after he had been taken into custody by the national graft-buster on charges of financial corruption and money laundering.

A two-judge IHC bench – comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq – cited medical grounds for granting bail while directing Zardari to submit two surety bonds worth Rs10 million each to secure his release.

The 64-year-old has been in the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since his arrest on June 10 following the cancellation of his pre-arrest bail by the IHC.

Zardari has been receiving treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad since Oct after a six-doctor medical board concluded that he was suffering from multiple ailments – including heart conditions and diabetes – and needed medical care.

Officials at PIMS told The Express Tribune that they would discharge Zardari after receiving bail papers from the court on Thursday. Subsequently, he will be shifted to Karachi for specialised treatment – possibly at Ziauddin Hospital in the upscale Clifton neighbourhood.

The sexagenarian politician had filed the bail plea in the IHC on December 3 – over a month after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was granted bail on medical grounds by the IHC as well as the Lahore High Court.

Court proceedings

On Tuesday when the two-judge bench started proceedings, NAB Prosecutor General Jahanzaib Bharwana and his deputy Sardar Muzafar Abbasi appeared on behalf of the bureau, while Farooq H Naek represented his client Zardari.

The NAB prosecutors submitted Zardari’s medical report prepared by the medical board constituted on IHC’s orders to examine him.

According to the report, which was read out loud by the NAB prosecutors in the courtroom, Zardari is suffering from type-2 diabetes and heart conditions. He has three stents placed in his heart and needs an angiography. And if there is need to place more stents, then he would also undergo an angioplasty.

The report further says it is not possible for the under-trail PPP leader to receive proper treatment while in jail.

The NAB prosecutors informed the bench that the corruption watchdog had completed its interrogation and filed a reference. Upon this, Chief Justice Minallah asked the prosecutors if NAB wanted Zardari to remain in detention and receive treatment at the state’s expense. They didn’t answer. The bench granted bail to Zardari in both cases.

The bench also took up a bail application filed by Faryal Talpur, sister of Zardari, but adjourned the proceedings until December 17 as NAB had not submitted a response. The petitioner has maintained that she was mother to a differently-abled child who needs extra care; therefore, she should be granted bail until the completion of the trail.

Zardari, his sister and other accused face charges of money laundering through a web of fake bank accounts and embezzlement for Park Lane Estate Pvt Ltd and Parthenon Pvt Ltd. NAB alleged that the irregularities had caused the national exchequer a loss of Rs3.77 billion.

Shifting to Karachi

The ailing PPP co-chairperson is likely to be shifted to Karachi on Wednesday for specialised medical treatment. He would be admitted at Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton where, according to sources, a VIP room has been reserved for him.

Zardari would run some medical tests, including CT scan and angiography, while angioplasty will also be done, if necessary, sources added. No medical board has been set up for him, while the head of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Dr Nadeem Qamar, would be his consultant cardiologist.

Zardari had been under treatment at Cardiology Unit of PIMS under the supervision of the medical board comprising Dr Zulfiqar Ghauri, Dr Shah Jee, Dr Ahmed Siddiqui, Dr Muhammad Naeem, and Dr Sajid Nazeer Bhatti. Officials at PIMS told The Express Tribune by the phone that they would discharge Zardari as soon as they received bail papers from the court.

Zardari’s petition

In his petition, filed through his attorney Farooq H Naek, Zardari had nominated NAB and Accountability Court-II as respondents. The petitioner maintained that he was suffering from multiple diseases — including diabetes, cervical lumbar and spondylitis, and sensory and motor neuropathy with impaired proprioception.

According to the petition, Zardari also has a Holter monitor attached to his chest, which enables his medics to check and note variations in his heartbeat and blockages in his arteries.

It also noted that the PPP co-chair is a patient of ischemic heart disease, which means his heart may have an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen. The petition also stated that Zardari suffers from arthritis with a low platelet count, and all these illnesses cannot be treated within the jail premises.

“The petitioners’ condition makes it evident that his continued incarceration would prove detrimental to his life,” the petition added.

The cases against Zardari are part of the investigations being conducted by NAB in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the money laundering of billions through fake accounts case wherein it was forwarded a joint investigation team (JIT) report.

Bilawal’s reaction

Soon after the grant of bail, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto thanked the judiciary for the relief provided to his father.

Speaking to the media outside the court where he was flanked by Sindh’s former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and sister Aseefa, the PPP chairperson hinted at a nexus between the PTI government and NAB. “The government and NAB are mistaken if they think they could pressurise the PPP,” he said. “I want them to know that the poor people of the country prayed for Zardari’s release.”

Bilawal also criticised NAB for its failure to present in the court a response in a separate petition filed by his aunt Faryal Talpur.

He reiterated his prediction that Prime Minister Imran Khan who, according to him has “decimated the economy”, would not stay in power beyond this year. “I’m giving a political statement. I do not take instructions from anyone. The PTI government will be sent packing this year, and we will form a people-friendly government next year,” he claimed.