KARACHI: Denying all allegations against him, former federal minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Dr Asim Hussain told the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts on Monday that he was being tortured to make a bogus confession.

Dr Asim, also a close aide of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, was produced before Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto of the Sindh High Court after the period of his second police remand completed. He has been in police custody since Nov 28 and before that he spent three months in Rangers custody.

The new investigation officer of the case, DSP Altaf Hussain, sought another extension in his remand for further questioning and collection of evidence in a case relating to providing treatment and shelter to terrorists. The IO said that he took over the investigations on Dec 4.

When the judge asked Dr Asim whether he was subjected to maltreatment in custody, Dr Asim, who did not speak in his previous two appearances, broke his silence and denied all the allegations against him.

He said: “I am being tortured and pressurised to make a false confession.”

Referring to the statement of the chief operating officer of his hospital — Dr Ziauddin Hospital — recorded before a judicial magistrate, the former petroleum minister said that he was being framed merely on the statement of a medical superintendent.

He added that law-enforces took him to his own hospital and then claimed that he had rightly pointed out the crime scene.

Police remand of former petroleum minister has been extended for a second time

Dr Asim alleged that his life was at stake and he was suffering from brain tumour and heart ailments, but he was not being allowed a proper treatment.

In an apparent reference to the powers that be, Dr Asim said that “they” had issues with someone else, but he had become a matter of ego for “them”.

He said that he was being victimised for some reasons that he could not describe.

His daughter, Dr Nida, also submitted a statement along with an affidavit in court stating that the life of her father was in danger.

Defence counsel Amir Raza Naqvi opposed the remand request stating that his client had already spent over 100 days in custody and it would be a sheer violation of Article 10 of the Constitution.

He contended that the suspect was under extreme pressure and his life was in danger. He argued that the police had not produced investigation dairies and any other material in court while the IO had to give solid reasons for further extension in custody.

He added that further police custody of the suspect would be unjustified.

The counsel submitted that the National Accountability Bureau had shown the suspect arrested and sought his custody on the last hearing without authority.

However, NAB counsel Amjad Ali Shah argued that NAB had only shown the suspect arrested, but did not get his custody.

He maintained that NAB was authorised by the competent authority to arrest Dr Asim.

After hearing all sides, Justice Phulpoto extended the police remand of the suspect till Dec 12.

On Aug 26, the Rangers had picked up Dr Asim, the incumbent chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, from his office in Clifton and placed him under three-month preventive detention for inquiry since they claimed to have credible information about his involvement in using embezzled funds to finance terrorism.

After three months, the Rangers registered a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists and gangsters at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of political leaders.

MQM leaders Waseem Akhtar, Rauf Siddiqui, Anis Qaimkhani and Saleem Shahzad and Qadir Patel of the PPP have also been named in the FIR as they allegedly asked Dr Asim to provide treatment and shelter to alleged terrorists.

The FIR also accused Dr Asim of making appointments in the Pakistan State Oil and Sui Sothern Gas Company and awarding contracts by accepting graft.

The case registered at the North Nazimabad police station under sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender), 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform), 216 (harbouring offender who has escaped from custody whose apprehension has been ordered), 216-A (penalty for harbouring robbers or dacoits), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or banker, merchant or agent) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with sections 21I (aid and abetment), 21J (harbouring any person who committed an offence under this act) and 7 (punishment for act of terrorism) of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

MQM leader gets bail

An antiterrorism court granted on Monday interim pre-arrest bail to MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui in the present case till Dec 19.

After getting protective bail from the high court, Mr Siddiqui turned up before the trial court and moved a pre-arrest bail application.

The ATC-I judge, Bashir Ahmed Khoso, granted interim bail against a surety bond of Rs200,000 and issued notices to the IO and the prosecutor for the next date.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2015