Zardari to be shifted to Karachi for medical treatment tomorrow

Development comes after the Islamabad High Court grants bail to PPP co-chairman on medical grounds in two NAB cases

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will reach Karachi tomorrow following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday granted him bail on medical grounds in two corruption references pertaining to money laundering through fake bank accounts.

The former president would be treated at Ziauddin Hospital in Clifton where a VIP room has been prepared for his medical check-up.

Initially, his CT scan and angiography would be conducted whereas angioplasty will also be done if necessary. Head of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Dr Nadeem Qamar would be Zardari's consultant cardiologist.

The PPP stalwart has been suffering from ischemic heart disease, which means his heart may have an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen. He also has severe pain in L5-S1 vertebra of the spinal cord.



Earlier in the day, a two-judge bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq, directed Zardari to submit two surety bonds of Rs10 million each in the two corruption references lodged against him.

The PPP top leader was arrested in June this year for his alleged involvement in money laundering of billions through fake accounts. He was receiving medical treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.

Bilawal thanks judiciary 

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari while addressing the media outside the IHC thanked the judiciary for the relief to his father.

Flanked by former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and sister Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, Bilawal criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for failing to present a response in a separate petition filed by PPP leader Faryal Talpur.

He said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and the anti-graft watchdog were mistaken if they think they could pressurise the PPP.

“I want them to know that the poor people of the country prayed for Zardari’s release,” Bilawal said.

Thank you to everyone for their prayers, @AAliZardari has been granted bail by the Islamabad High Court. The medical report presented today were extremely concerning & we hope to seek medical care in Karachi as soon as possible. https://t.co/IpwNLSbSFX

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) December 11, 2019

He also criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for “decimating the economy” and failing to handle the Kashmir issue. He claimed that the common man wished for the removal of the government.

“I am giving a political statement,  I do not take instructions from anyone. The PTI government will end by the year end... next year we will make a people-friendly government.”

The petition

Zardari had moved a petition through his lawyer Farooq H Naek and nominated NAB and the Islamabad Accountability Court-II as respondents.

He moved the court on December 3, over a month after the former premier Nawaz Sharif was given similar relief.

The petition said Zardari is suffering from multiple diseases — such as diabetes, cervical lumbar and spondylosis, sensory and motor neuropathy with impaired proprioception.

According to the petition, Zardari also has a Holter monitor attached to his chest, enabling doctors 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 premises of the jail.



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

Fake accounts case

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.

Other suspects in the investigation include Omni Group’s Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairperson Hussain Lawai and Summit Bank Senior Vice-President Taha Raza.