Form medical board to examine Zardari’s health, orders IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the formation of a medical board to examine the health of former President Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds on his plea for pre-arrest bail in a Rs8 billion suspicious transaction case.

The court directed authorities concerned to form a medical board and submit reports in two weeks. The court also accepted his plea for exemption from personal appearance. Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naek told the IHC that they had filed a bail petition on medical grounds and the court granted bail to him in two other cases. He added that a medical board had been constituted earlier in the light of a court order. He informed the court that Zardari had been admitted to a private hospital and sought constitution of a medical board again in the case. He added that Zardari had been suffering from diabetes, cardiac and chest diseases. Moreover, fresh medical reports of the former president were also submitted to the court.

The lawyer of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that they would not oppose the decision to form a medical board comprising medics from the government hospital of Karachi. Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that the decision would be taken after getting opinion from the medical board. He said experts were needed to ascertain the diseases. The court adjourned the hearing until January 28.