ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the interior ministry to come up with their answers to a petition by Dr Asim Hussain seeking permission to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment after removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

A three-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan issued notice to NAB with a direction to submit their reply when counsel Sardar Latif Khosa representing Dr Hussain pleaded before the court that his client, who is a close confidante of former president Asif Ali Zardari as well as an ex-petroleum minister, intended to proceed abroad for his medical treatment.

The counsel highlighted the medical urgency saying Dr Hussain was battling with a number of health conditions, including treatment for a cardiovascular ailment.

In addition to his petition Dr Hussain also had furnished an application with a plea that he wanted to travel to the UK in the second week of July for his medical check-up, therefore his petition for the removal of his name from the ECL should be heard and decided as early as possible since it related to his liberty and health.

During the proceedings Justice Khan also expressed his surprise that how easily the elite or big shots get medical certificates, while every medical board constituted to examine them always suggests that their treatment was not possible in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2017