An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi issued on Saturday non-bailable arrest warrants for three absconders, including estranged MQM leader Anis Qaimkhani in the Dr Asim Hussain case.
In its proceedings on Saturday, the ATC directed police to arrest Qaimkhani along with another Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Saleem Shehzad and Pakistan People’s Party leader Qadir Patel, and produce them in court on March 22.
Qaimkhani however, denied he had ever called Dr Asim. He did however admit that he met with the former petroleum minister on different occasions.
Further, Qaimkhani has said he will fulfill all legal requirements against the charges leveled against him in the case.
The ATC in December last year declared the aforementioned political leaders as absconders in the case pertaining to corruption and terrorism charges.
On January 8, police arrested another accused in the case, general secretary Pasban-e-Pakistan Usman Moazzam on the same charges.
Earlier on 26th November 2016, the FIR was registered against Dr Asim for providing medical facilities to terrorists and wanted criminals belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and notorious Lyari gang war bandits in two branches of Ziauddin Hospital.
According to FIR, militants belonging to MQM and Lyari gang war, who got injured in clashes with law enforcers, were treated on Dr Asim’s directions after MQM’s leaders Waseem Akhter, Anees Kaimkhani and Saleem Shehzad and PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel asked him to do so. The FIR also said that Dr Asim made illegal appointments and granted contracts on bribes during his tenure as Petroleum Minister.
Former petroleum minister was arrested by the Rangers on 26th August 2015 when he was serving as chairman of Sindh’s Higher Education Commission. He remained under Rangers’ preventive detention for 90 days under Anti Terrorism Act, 1997.
It is pertinent to mention here that apart from terror charges, Dr Asim is also facing charges of money laundering, making illegal appointments and granting contracts on bribes while misusing his powers as Petroleum Minister.