ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party leader Rehman Malik has sought relief for party co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on the pattern of legal remedy provided to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the verdicts granting bail to Mr Sharif and Maryam Nawaz had been given in accordance with judicial conscience and Mr Zardari and Ms Talpur also deserved to be immediately released on the same grounds.

“Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur are high-profile under-trial political personalities and they must not be treated like convicted prisoners,” he remarked.

He said the former president did not deserve this kind of treatment on the basis of mere unproven charges.

Mr Malik said that as chairman of the Senate Stan­ding Committee on Interior he had taken notice of lack of medical facilities to Mr Zardari.

According to the reports received by the committee, the PPP leader said Mr Zardari’s health was rapidly deteriorating. Keeping in view his serious ailment, the former president should be immediately released on bail and he must be allowed to get medical treatment from a doctor of his choice, he added.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2019