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KARACHI, Jan 31: The authorities were ordered on Saturday to provide medical treatment to Asif Ali Zardari, who has been suffering from piles.
The district and sessions judge, Central, Pir Ali Bux Shah, passed the order to this effect on an application filed by Mr Zardari's counsel, Abu Bakar Zardari and Shahadat Awan, seeking court's permission for the treatment of their client on his own expenses.
The judge, who is trying Mr Zardari in Justice Nizam murder case, allowed the application after hearing the arguments of the defence counsel and the Special Public Prosecutor, Maula Bux Bhatti.
The spouse of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, along with three co-accused - Akhtar Javed Pirzada, Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu - is facing the charges of double murder.
Justice Nizam, a former SHC judge, and his son Nadim Ahmed, a lawyer, were shot dead in an attack in 1996 near their house within the limits of the Ferozabad police.
The defence counsel also placed on record a letter of the medical superintendent of the Ziauddin University Hospital and medical reports from the PNS Shifa Hospital.
Mr Awan submitted before the court that Mr Zaradri had been advised by doctors to undergo urgent surgery, which if delayed could complicate his illness.
He recalled that the court had earlier ordered the treatment of his client at the PNS Shifa. However, he added, the doctors at the hospital had refused to perform surgery as the hospital was not equipped with required facilities.
The special public prosecutor opposed the application, contending that the accused had not availed himself of the treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Science, where he remained for over two months.
Objecting to the prosecutor's contention, Mr Awan submitted that the application had been pending disposal for a long time. Moreover, he stated, the law allowed the accused to get medical treatment at the hospital of his own choice.
MIR CASE: The district and sessions judge, East, Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, put off the hearing of the Mir Murtaza Bhutto case till Feb 21 after recording the statement of a prosecution witness.
The judge also issued notices to six other prosecution witnesses to appear before the court on the next date of hearing and record their deposition.
Dr Kaleem, a medico-legal officer, appeared as prosecution witness and placed on record a medical report of an unknown man, who was also injured in the incident.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto, son of late prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was killed along with six other persons, including his close aide, Ashiq Jatoi, in September 1996, some 100 meters from his resident in Clifton by a heavy contingent of police during an alleged shootout.
Zardari, who was initially detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), after the dismissal of the Pakistan People's Party government, was arrested in connection with the Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case in late November, 1996, after the high court set aside his detention under MPO. He was granted bail in this case last year.
Besides Mr Zardari, a former DIG of Karachi, Dr Shoaib Suddle, then senior superintendent of police, South, Wajid Durrani, former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, Masood Sharif, ASPs, Shahid Hiyat and Rai Tahir, and former SHOs, Agha Jameel and Shabbir Qaimkhani, are among the accused. Mr Suddle, at present posted as inspector general of police, Balochistan, has been exempted from personal appearance by the court.
