ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday constituted a medical board to ascertain health condition of former president Asif Ali Zardari who is seeking bail in a case related to suspicious transactions from the accounts of Bahria Town to fake accounts.

An IHC division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani took up Mr Zardari’s petition seeking pre-arrest bail in the case of about Rs8.3 billion suspicious transactions from the joint accounts of Bahria Town’s assistant private secretary Mushtaq and Zain Malik into fake accounts.

Former president seeks pre-arrest bail

The court had granted pre-arrest interim bail to Mr Zardari in this case on June 18 last year. The bail has yet to be confirmed.

Initially, the former president sought bail on merit. However, the petition was amended after it was fixed for hearing before the bench in September last year.

Advocate Farooq H. Naek informed the court that Mr Zardari’s health was deteriorating and that he might be granted pre-arrest bail on medical grounds.

The court constituted a commission comprising Professor Dr Nadeem Qamar of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and specialists in the field of urology, general medicine, etc.

The commission has been asked to submit its report in a fortnight.

The bench was of the view that since the petitioner had sought relief on medical grounds, the decision on the plea would be taken in the light of the commission’s report.

Accused Zain Malik, son-in-law of property tycoon Malik Riaz, has secured release in three under-trial cases and three investigations through plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau.

Zain undertook to mortgage his six properties and pay Rs4 billion in one case, Rs170 million in another and Rs37m in the third case to NAB, Rawalpindi Directorate, in three years.

He will pay the amount in installments at an interval of three months.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2021