Dr Asim Hussain’s health deteriorates

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Dr Asim Hussain was shifted to the cardiovascular department of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Monday after his health deteriorated, Geo News quoted sources as saying.

In October, former federal minister for petroleum Dr Asim suffered a paralytic attack and was admitted to the JPMC. The spokesperson for Jinnah Hospital had said at the time that his health was out of danger.

Hussain is in custody on a range of charges, including corruption of over Rs460 billion and terror facilitation.

In October, an accountability court had indicted Hussain, former petroleum secretary Ejaz Chaudhry and others in an over Rs460 billion corruption case.

Dr Asim, a close aide to former president Asif Ali Zardari, along with his accomplices, have been standing trial over charges of misusing his authority for getting plots allotted fraudulently and encroaching upon state land for expansion of Dr Ziauddin Hospital/Trust, money laundering, illegal gains, kickbacks, commission through fertiliser cartel for illegal curtailment of gas for exploitative price hike and defrauding people in the name of a charity hospital.

The court read out the charges against Hussain, Chaudhry, former chief executive officer of the Karachi Dock Labour Board (KDLB) Safdar Hussain and former director of the Karachi Deve­lopment Autho­rity (KDA) Syed Athar Hussain. They pleaded not guilty. Judge Saad Qureshi had directed prosecution witnesses to record their evidence on May 14.

The National Accounta­bility Bureau had filed the reference against him in February, charging that the he had deprived the state of Rs462 billion between 2010 and 2013 — Rs450bn through the fertiliser scam, Rs9.5 billion through land fraud and Rs3 billion through money laundering.

According to the reference, Hussain approved summaries for unjustifiable and arbitrary gas curtailment in the name of load management. Chaudhry allegedly facilitated the former minister by moving the summaries without considering rational approach.

The former secretary, it alleged, had also failed to implement a June 2011 decision of the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet for providing 80 per cent gas supply to fertiliser companies.

The National Account­ability Bureau alleged that Safdar Hussain was involved in illegal extension and award of KDLB contract in violation of Public Procure­ment Regulatory Authority rules and facilitated Dr Asim to take over the KDLB hospital and misuse it for private practices and referral facility.

Hussain also allowed the former petroleum minister to use KDLB premises for nursing accommodation and after retirement he joined Ziauddin Hospital as general manager human resources, it maintained.

NAB also charged that the two former directors of the KDA had granted illegal lease of two acres KDA land in North Nazimabad and 2.8 acres in Clifton in favour of Dr Asim. The bureau claimed that the former minister had also illegally and fraudulently got more plots allotted for cancer hospital, medical university and other educational purposes.