Daily Times

KARACHI: Dr Asim Hussain, the PPP Karachi chapter president and close aide of former president, Asif Ali Zardari, seemed to be in a tearing rush to fly abroad for medical treatment as he informed the Sindh High Court on Wednesday that he had booked flight to London and hotel accommodation.

However, he will have to wait at least until the interior ministry responds to his plea for having his passport back and travel restrictions removed.

While adjourning the hearing till May 09, the court gave the federal authorities more time to submit their comments on the petition filed by Dr Asim Hussain seeking permission to travel abroad for his treatment.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar adjourned the hearing at the request of the federal law officer who sought time to file comments of the official respondents.

At the outset, Dr Asim’s lawyer, Barrister Latif Khosa submitted in the court the copy of air ticket of his client for London of May 07, saying his client was critically ill and wanted to fly for London on May 07 for medical treatment and was expected return on May 21.

Justice Gaffar remarked that the court could not grant him permission for traveling abroad unless the federal government filed its response. He, therefore, adjourned the hearing.

Opposing his plea, the NAB prosecutor apprehended that Dr Asim was facing serious allegations and if he was allowed to go abroad he wouldn’t come back. He told the judges that the NAB had approached the apex court challenging the bail granted to the PPP leader in corruption cases.

The PPP leader was released on April 01 after about 19 months when the SHC granted him bail in two corruption references.

Dr Asim is facing two corruption cases for allegedly depriving the public exchequer of Rs 462 million by misusing his authority to get land allotted illegally, encroaching upon the state land for expansion of Dr Ziauddin Hospital, money laundering, illegally awarding multi-billion gas processing contracts and receiving kickbacks.

His lawyer Barrister Larig Khosa submitted that a medical board set up to examine the health of Dr Asim had advised him for treatment abroad. He needed lumbar disc replacement surgery which is not possible in Pakistan, the counsel said while quoting the nine-member medical board.

He pleaded the judges to allow his client to travel abroad to have medical treatment.

Earlier, on April 15, the ATC-II Judge allowed Dr Asim to travel abroad for two weeks subject to furnishing a surety of Rs2 million. The period of two weeks will start from the day he leaves Pakistan, it added.

The judge ruled, “In case he does not come back, the government would move to take over his Ziauddin Hospital.”