The Sindh High Court on Friday rejected a Rangers petition challenging the release of PPP leader Dr Asim Hussain by police in a criminal case pertaining to “treatment and harbouring of terrorists” at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital “at the behest of leaders of PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement”.
The SHC division bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh directed Rangers to approach the trial court if they had grievances because the matter was still being investigated and the high court could not intervene.
The Rangers’ petition, filed on Tuesday, had said that enough evidence existed against Dr Asim Hussain to charge him for the offences mentioned in the FIR.
The petitioner alleged that the investigation officer deliberately omitted the sections of anti-terrorism laws and destroyed evidence against Dr Asim. He requested the court to take action against DSP Altaf Hussain for “spoiling the case of prosecution against the accused person”.
NAB arrested Dr Hussain, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, from the premises of Sindh High Court last Friday after the administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts allowed the bureau to take him into custody when police informed him that the suspect had been released under Section 497(2) of CrPC in a case relating to providing treatment and shelter to terrorists at his hospital. His remand was extended for another seven days on Thursday.
Before that, Dr Asim was placed in police custody after his 90-day preventive detention in Rangers’ custody ended.
The arrest of Dr Asim, Chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, came on August 26 and was described as the first major action against PPP leaders during the ongoing Karachi operation.
