KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party leader Abdul Qadir Patel, who is a suspect in a terrorism case against former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain, was on Friday granted pre-arrest bail by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-II) for one week a day before his meeting with Rangers officials who summoned him for interrogation related to cases against former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain.

The ATC-II judge granted the PPP leader, who returned from London only on Tuesday night after staying abroad for almost a year, pre-arrest bail in the sum of Rs200,000.

Last week, the PPP leader had obtained pre-arrest bail from the Sindh High Court on a petition submitting that he was in Dubai for his medical treatment and had learnt that he was implicated in a case against Dr Hussain for harbouring and treating terrorists and criminals at his hospitals.

“I am scheduled to meet the Rangers tomorrow [Thursday] at 11am,” Mr Patel told reporters outside the ATC. “As I have already stated that my hands are clean and I don’t need to worry about anything. I respect all national institutions and am committed to cooperate for lasting peace in the city.”

In reply to a question about his links with Uzair Jan Baloch, the alleged leader of one of the criminal gangs operating in Lyari, he did not deny the “contacts” but said it was due to an alliance of his party with the arrested suspect.

“Why should I deny that? I know him and met him but all that contact was due to the alliance of the PPP with him in Lyari. There is nothing personal in all those contacts,” said Mr Patel.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2016