An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has deferred until August 12 the pronouncement of its verdict on an application filed by the prosecution seeking the court’s nod to withdraw a criminal case against former federal minister and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Dr Asim Hussain and other politicians.
Dr Asim has been charged with allegedly treating and harbouring terror suspects, including political militants and gangsters, at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of the Ziauddin Hospital at the behest of the PPP’s Abdul Qadir Patel, MQM-P’s Anis Qaimkhani, former Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, Rauf Siddiqui and Pasban leader Usman Moazzam.
The ATC-II judge was to announce its judgement on the plea on Saturday, but it was deferred till August 12 due to the judge being on leave.
Wasim Akhtar, Anees Qaimkhani, Rauf Siddiqui and Usman Moazzam turned up on bail while Dr Asim and Abdul Qadir Patel were called absent.
The case was adjourned till August 12 with a direction to the accused to appear on the next date for the pronouncement of the order.
In February, the Sindh government, through the special public prosecutor, Muhammad Younus, moved an application before the court seeking its permission to withdraw the case against the politicians facing the trial. The application was moved under Section 494 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) read with Section 9-A(3)(III) of the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Function & Power) Act, 2009.
The prosecutor informed the judge that the Sindh government wanted to withdraw the case against all the accused persons and sought the court’s permission for this purpose. He placed on record a letter dated February 16 written to Sindh Prosecutor General Faiz Shah by the home department giving the go-ahead to the proposal for withdrawal of the case with the consent of the court. The prosecutor said there was no material on record which may result in the conviction of the accused.
An FIR was lodged 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 (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 various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.