KARACHI: An accountability court has allowed former federal petroleum minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Dr Asim Hussain to travel abroad for his medical check-up.

The accountability court-IV judge, Fareed Anwer Qazi, also granted him exemption from personal appearance before the court from May 2-31.

Dr Asim, who is a close aide to former president Asif Ali Zardari, is facing two corruption references in the accountability court and a criminal case in an antiterrorism court.

He had moved an application seeking the court’s permission to travel abroad for a follow-up medical check-up which was due after he underwent surgery of spinal cord abroad a few months ago.

Taking up the matter on Tuesday, the court approved Dr Asim’s application and allowed him to travel abroad.

It also adjourned the hearing till May 7, due to absence of the NAB investigating officer.

Four remanded in Nashwa case

A local court on Tuesday remanded four detained suspects in judicial custody till May 2 in a case pertaining to death of an infant Nashwa after alleged maltreatment at a private hospital.

Four suspects — including a female doctor Sobia, nursing in-charge Atif Javed, deputy administration officer Ahmed Shahzad, security in-charge Adeel and another employee, Agha Moiz — have been detained and booked along with five senior staffers of the Darul Sehat Hospital over alleged wrong treatment of the child on April 7 that paralysed her.

On Tuesday, the suspects were produced from the prison before a judicial magistrate (East) on expiry of their judicial remand.

The investigating officer appeared and request for more time to submit an investigation report in the case.

Allowing the request, the judge asked him to submit progress report on May 2.

The judge also issued a notice to the prosecutor and IO for May 3 to advance arguments on bail applications filed by two doctors, Dr Atiya and Dr Sharjeel, who had been booked in the present case.

Both the doctors appeared to join the trial after obtaining protective pre-arrest bail from the Sindh High Court.

Quack sent to jail

A local court on Tuesday remanded an alleged quack in judicial custody in a case pertaining to death of an eight-year-old girl Saba Noor at a private clinic in Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The investigating officer produced the suspect Adnan before a judicial magistrate (East) on expiry of his physical remand in police custody.

Remanding him in judicial custody, the judge directed the IO to submit an investigation report on May 11 and also produce the suspect.

It mentioned that Adnan injected a wrong solution to the girl, who was suffering from pneumonia, due to which her condition deteriorated and subsequently she died.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2019