IHC forms medical board on Zardari’s bail plea

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) constituted on Tuesday a medical board on a petition for pre-arrest bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari in a case of Rs8 billion suspicious transaction and sought its report by January 28.

Farooq H Naek, lawyer for the former president, and Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, deputy prosecutor general of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeared before the bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

At the outset of the hearing, Naek moved Zardari's request for exemption from personal attendance on medical grounds. He informed that court that the Zardari was still ill and hospitalised, adding that the same court had granted bail to the former president in two cases on medical grounds.

Naek said that the former president was currently suffering from heart, chest, diabetes and other ailments and he was currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital. Naek also submitted new medical reports of Zardari in the court.

Justice Kiani said that NAB should also give its opinion regarding the medical board. The deputy prosecutor general said that he had no objection on the formation of a board from a government hospital in Karachi.

Naek said that the doctors of Ziauddin Hospital should also be included in the board. Justice Amir Farooq asked the NAB prosecutor’s opinion on including specialist on heart disease, besides a neurologist, urologists in the board. Naek proposed inclusion of Ziauddin Hospital’s medical superintended.

Later the court formed a medical board headed by Dr Nadeem Qamar, Director, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), and including a urologist, a neurologist, a general physician and the MS of the Ziauddin hospital.

The court extends Zardari's pre-arrest bail and summoned the report of the medical board in two weeks. The hearing was adjourned till January 28.