Dr Asim wants passport back ‘to avoid criminal trial’, NAB tells SHC

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday expressed reservations before the Sindh High Court over Dr Asim Hussain’s application for return of his passport and removal of his name from the Exit Control List, submitting that the application was a pre-planned attempt “to avoid criminal trial under the camouflage of so-called medical grounds”.

In his counter affidavit on Dr Asim’s plea, Osama Yousuf, a NAB deputy assistant director serving as investigation officer in the Rs470 million corruption reference against the former minister, submitted that the application for return of passport and removal of name from ECL was not maintainable.

Explaining the NAB’s reason, Yousuf said the petitioner was facing serious corruption allegations which were punishable under the NAB Ordinance and the nature of the cases called for his name to be placed on the ECL. He said that Dr Asim could not claim immunity under any circumstance.

The case officer added that investigators were doubtful of the ex-minister’s intent, as it seemed that the petitioner wanted to flee the country “which will definitely defeat the purpose and object of Section 16(a) of the NAB Ordinance”. 

Yousuf submitted that Dr Asim’s application was “pre-planned to avoid criminal trial under the camouflage of so-called medical grounds” and rejected the notion that the ex-minister was suffering an ailment that was not treatable in Pakistan. 

He added that Dr Asim had not challenged the SHC order in the Supreme Court, nor had he approached the high court for modification in its order wherein the ex-minister was granted bail but barred from travelling and told to surrender his passport. On the contrary, he added, NAB had challenged Dr Asim’s bail order in the apex court. 

Taking Yousuf’s comments on record, the SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Junaid Ghaffar adjourned the hearing till May 3.

‘Deal with Abid Sher Ali’

Zaib Azkaar Hussain adds: The accountability court (AC) hearing the Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL) corruption reference failed to indict Dr Asim and other co-accused at Tuesday’s hearing. 

The ex-minister’s attorney used the hearing to voice concerns over the case’s ‘political’ nature, arguing that the case was concocted for political purposes and it would be unfair to indict the accused at this stage. 

NAB’s attorney, however, rejected the argument stating it was the court’s prerogative to indict the accused as and when it deemed fit. He added that charges were also never framed according to the will of the accused. 

Leaving the court after the hearing was adjourned till May 5, the ex-minister had an informal talk with journalists in which he reasserted his claim of being implicated in false cases. Dr Asim also used the opportunity to criticise Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and State Minister for Water and Power Abid Sher Ali for their recent comments. 

About Khan, the former petroleum minister said he had always respected the PTI chief but he had a bad habit of levelling defamatory allegations against people. As for the PML-N minister, Dr Asim added that while Abid Sher Ali was keen to speak about other deals, he was not telling the people about the deal he had struck earlier with him [Dr Asim].