Sindh govt, Rangers’ lawyers lock horns

KARACHI: An interesting debate was witnessed in the courtroom at the time of the production of Dr Asim Hussain when a law officer representing the Sindh Rangers prayed to the court to permit cops from the North Nazimabad police station to conduct his interrogation on a physical remand of 14 days. However, the prosecutor representing the government of Sindh prayed to grant him a remand of four days.

 

Dr Asim Hussain was produced before the anti-terrorism court for the first time.

 

The attorney for the provincial government argued that custody of the former adviser to the PM on petroleum and national resources and former federal minister and chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission Dr Asim had been given to the police, and the Rangers had no authority to convince the court on the issue of the granting of a physical remand. The attorney contended that it was the duty of the police to carry out the investigation against the allegations of provision of treatment to injured criminals and terrorists at Dr Asim’s hospital and other corruption charges.

 

The Rangers who had kept Dr Asim under detention for 90 days now had no authority to interfere in the cases of Dr Asim as he was now under the custody of the police. He prayed to the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts, Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, to grant physical remand to the police for four days in order to investigate the charges levelled against Dr Asim.

 

Earlier, the attorney for the Rangers told the court that he was a senior officer and desired to hear his plea on the issue of physical remand and suggested that the police concerned should be granted physical remand for 14 days to hold a thorough investigation.

 

The public prosecutor representing the provincial government, however, intervened and drew the attention of the court towards the nature of custody of Dr Asim, adding that the Rangers had been played its due role and now the police were keeping the custody of Dr Asim.

 

The court while considering the arguments granted physical remand for 4 days.Handcuffed Dr Asim was brought from Gulberg Police Station amid heavy security and was remanded to the police of North Nazimabad Police Station. The security was provided both by the police and the Rangers. The wife and the daughter of Dr Asim were also present in the court.

 

It may be mentioned that a close aide of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and former federal minister, Dr Asim Hussain was arrested on August 26 and later was produced in an Anti-terrorism Court (III) that had remanded him to the Rangers’ custody for interrogation against his serious allegations of misuse of huge funds and provision of assistance to the criminals and terrorists in financial terms.

 

Dr Asim’s wife had claimed that her husband was not well and he should be permitted to admit to a hospital. He was kept under detention for 90 days under Section 11-EEEE of Pakistan Protection Act. The court had placed the notification of apprehension on record and allowed the detention by Rangers.

 

Though, at the time of production of Dr Asim Hussain by the Rangers in ATC-III, the family of the detainee was not allowed to see him, the ATC judge later had granted permission to the family to meet the detainee.