Politics of defending friends at the cost of Karachi peace

Target given to get Zardari at all costs

ISLAMABAD: If the PPP government in Sindh has risked the fate of the otherwise much-appreciated Rangers-led Karachi operation to save the skin of Dr Asim Hussain, the latter too is determined not to name Asif Ali Zardari in any of the corruption cases.

The NAB sources said Dr Asim Hussain had told the Bureau’s investigation officer that he was being pressurised to implicate Asif Ali Zardari but he would never do that.The sources said Dr Asim had told his investigators that he was in hot waters merely because of the reason that he was not cooperating with the Rangers and NAB to the extent of implicating Asif Ali Zardari.

The NAB authorities are confident about the nature of evidence they have in their possession about the involvement of Dr Asim Hussain in corruption cases. However, still there is no link established between Dr Asim and the PPP’s co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

Dr Asim, who was produced before the administrative judge of an anti-terrorism court recently, had said on that occasion that he should be killed in an encounter rather than be given such treatment.

He had told the court that he was being harassed, tortured and at the same time being ‘given lollipops’ so that he became an approver in the case. He had denied the charges of being a facilitator of criminals and terrorists and prayed to the court not to remand him in the Rangers’ custody.

Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention, the Rangers had handed Dr Asim over to the police after lodging a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at the North Nazimabad and the Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the PPP.

However, within few days of his handover to Karachi police, the police investigation officer was changed following a directive from Dubai. The new investigation officer, the Rangers sources believe, within a few days time spoiled the case and told the court that there was no evidence available to implicate Dr Asim in terrorism case.

According to sources, all was set by the provincial government to get Dr Asim released and then send him abroad but the move was countered by NAB Sindh, which took him into its custody for probe into corruption cases.

This situation led to an open confrontation between Sindh and center with the former expressing its displeasure over the Rangers’ operation against PPP leaders and the latter throwing its weight behind Rangers to achieve the goal of sustainable peace in Karachi.

The PPP government had delayed extending the policing role of Rangers in Karachi and finally adopted a controversial resolution on Wednesday, seeking curtailment of Rangers’ authority. In his recent statement, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah clearly said his government does not want either the Rangers or the NAB to look into the corruption cases.

Meanwhile, credible sources close to Dr Asim Husain said that NAB has been given the target that by hook or by crook Asif Ali Zardari be implicated in corruption and terrorism cases. The Bureau has been asked to force and harass Dr Asim to the extent that he should give statement against the PPP co-chairman.

The sources said that the previous investigation officer of the police had also been given the same target with the same mind set i.e. to get Zardari implicated. However, later an honest officer of impeccable dignity was made the investigation officer.

The sources said that if the previous investigation officer had gathered any proof against Dr Asim in 90 days, those should be brought to the fore.