Crying foul: SHC seeks Rangers’ response to Ziauddin Hospital’s harassment plea

Hospital’s management contends that paramilitary force were conducting raids despite court orders

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought response from the federal government to a contempt application against a Rangers captain and his subordinates for harassing the management of Dr Ziauddin Hospital in violation of the court's restraining order.

A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, directed the additional attorney general, Salman Talibuddin, to file the response by the second week of November.

Advocate Anwar Mansoor Khan had filed an application on behalf of the private health facility, which is owned by former president Asif Ali Zardari's close aide, Dr Asim Hussain. The latter is under a 90-day detention of the Rangers over terror funding and corruption charges.



Khan informed the two judges that the court had, on September 18, restrained the Rangers authorities from harassing the staff during frequent raids at the branches of Dr Ziauddin Hospital following the arrest of Dr Asim Hussain.

He alleged that despite the fact that the court's orders were duly communicated to the Rangers officials, the personnel were continuously visiting the office of the Karachi Dock Labour Board, which is currently under the management of the Dr Ziauddin Hospital.

Without any search warrants or authority letter, the personnel are harassing the staff and demanding records of the health facility, the lawyer added. He argued that this act of the paramilitary force amounts to willfully and deliberately committing contempt of the court's orders dated September 18.

The court was pleaded to initiate contempt proceedings against the Rangers Captain, Ahmed, the sub-inspector, Muhammad Muneer, and Iqbal for defying the court's orders.



During Tuesday's proceedings, the additional attorney general, Salman Talibuddin, objected to the maintainability of the petition of Dr Ziauddin Hospital.

He argued that the wife of Dr Asim Hussain had already challenged his detention under Section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 through a separate petition, which was still subjudice before the court. Therefore, this petition does not appear to be maintainable and should be dismissed, he pleaded.

In response, Advocate Anwar Mansoor Khan contended that the petition has, in fact, been filed by the hospital and has nothing to do with the other petition. He undertook to file the necessary trust deed and bring the trustees of the hospital on record.

The bench issued notice to the additional attorney general to file response of the federal government to the contempt plea against the Rangers personnel by the second week of November.

The judges deferred, however, hearing on another application for issuance of a stay order against the raids by Rangers personnel at the Dr Ziauddin Hospital's branches.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2015.