LONDON: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Dr Asim Hussain said on Sunday that his return to Pakistan is more important than his surgery.
Dr Asim Hussain, a close of Asif Ali Zardari, is recovering after undergoing a successful back surgery in London. According to details, he underwent a successful spinal surgery and is being admitted to intensive care unit at the Harley Street Clinic.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) earlier this month returned the passport to Dr Asim after the Supreme Court (SC) allowed him to travel abroad for treatment by removing his name from the ECL. Dr Asim’s name was placed on the ECL in November 2015 following the corruption charges against him.
Following his departure, a judge of an accountability court showed disapproval as he had left for London without obtaining NOC from the court. Consequently, the judge sent a reference against Dr Asim to the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court.
In March, the SHC had granted bail to Asim in two corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and on the same day, an anti-terrorism court issued a release order for the former federal minister in a case relating to the alleged treatment of terrorists at Ziauddin Hospital, where he served as the deputy managing director.
Besides the allegation of providing medical treatment to terrorists, NAB had also been pursuing Dr Hussain on charges that the former petroleum minister deprived the state exchequer of Rs 462.5 billion between 2010 and 2013 — Rs 450 billion through a fertilizer scam, Rs 9.5 billion through land fraud, and Rs 3 billion through money laundering.
