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KARACHI: An accountability court on Friday remanded former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain into the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for seven days.
Earlier police presented the senior PPP leader before an Anti-Terrorism Court amid tight security. The court had handed over Dr Hussain to NAB for questioning in a number of corruption references.
NAB officials took Dr Hussian into custody from outside the premises of the court and presented him in an accountability court later in the day.
NAB had also questioned Dr Hussain while he was in police custody as per authority granted earlier by an ATC.
The accountability body has reportedly launched investigations into references against Dr Hussain for illegal affiliation of colleges with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, issuance of licence for dozens of CNG stations and other corrupt practices.
Police, Rangers at loggerheads
During hearing at the ATC today, Investigation Officer deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Altaf Hussain informed the court that the police had released Dr Hussain as it had found “no terror-related evidence” against him under Section 497 (II) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
In contrast to the police statement, the Rangers prosecutor contended that enough evidence exists against Dr Asim to implicate him. The statement of Dr Yousuf Sattar — the managing director of Ziauddin Hospitals — was concrete evidence to implicate Dr Hussain, he said.
Read: Top official held in Rangers raid on Dr Ziauddin Hospital
The Rangers prosecutor went on to say that the IO did not consult the Rangers during investigations despite the case being initiated by the paramilitary force.
After Rangers' staunch opposition to the police stance, the court ordered the police IO to submit a report within 10 days demanding an explanation as to why no charges could be established against Dr Hussain under the CrPC.
'I support Gen Raheel'
Speaking before the court, Dr Hussain said that he supports the Chief of Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif and the National Action Plan. He said he also supports the ongoing Karachi operation.
He maintained that the hospital record obtained during the case investigation was tampered with to frame him and the hospitals in the case.
Dr Hussain further said even if some doctor had allegedly provided treatment to terrorists in his hospitals without his knowledge, he is not liable for it.
The Dr Asim saga
The disclosure by the Karachi police authorities came three days after the former minister told the administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts that he was being tortured to make a bogus confession. He denied all allegations against him.
Editorial: Rangers’ mandate
Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention on Nov 25, the Rangers had handed over Dr Hussain to police after lodging a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of leaders of the MQM and the PPP.
The arrest of Dr Hussain, Chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, came on Aug 26 and was described as the first major action against PPP leaders during the ongoing Karachi operation.
Following the end of his preventive detention by Rangers, police sought multiple extensions in his remand for further questioning and collection of evidence in a case relating to treatment of, and sheltering, terrorists. His police remand was due to end on Saturday, however, police released him earlier as it could not find any terror-related against him.
