Dr Asim case exposes politicised police, prosecution

PPP source says attempts being made
to implicate Zardari by hook or by crook

ISLAMABAD: Dr Asim Hussain is a fit case highlighting the serious flaws in the criminal justice system of the country with police and prosecution branches of the executive showing all time lows of their politicisation.

In its frustration to save Dr Asim, the PPP government in Sindh has crossed all limits of partiality and bias but it helped expose the hollowness of the system that suits criminals and corrupt more than anyone else.

Rangers’ finding may turn out to be weak or flawed in Dr Asim’s case but it could only be assessed fairly by independent police investigation and impartial prosecution. However, none of them has been allowed to work fairly by the provincial government.

Initially the police investigation officer was changed to Dr Asim’s satisfaction and later the accused got his choice prosecutor to get him released at the earliest.

A PPP source claimed on the condition of being not named that the previous investigation officer was biased and appointed by design. He was tasked to implicate former President Asif Ali Zardari by hook or by crook. He said if he had any proofs, why he was not presenting them before the court.

Although the court foiled the government’s frustrated attempt to get Dr Asim off the hook on Monday by denying him the bail, the question remains how the former petroleum minister’s fair trial could be ensured with such a politicised police and prosecution. The police investigation officer, who was recently appointed following a telephone call from Dubai, took no time to clear Dr Asim of all the charges framed on the basis of Rangers’ investigation. However, when one goes through the report of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by the Sindh government into this case, the terrorism charges against Dr Asim appear really serious.

The former petroleum minister – a close aide of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari – was arrested on August 26 over allegations of corruption and facilitating terrorists at his private hospital in Karachi. The JIT, which was represented by members from Rangers, Karachi police, Counter Terrorism Department, ISI and MI had given their unanimous findings against Dr Asim.

The details of the JIT findings as reported by The News senior investigative reporter Ahmad Noorani in this newspaper today, show the reasons for the Sindh government and the PPP’s top leadership frustration in Dr Asim’s case. The PPP leader, who was initially held by Rangers for 90 days during which he claimed that he was mistreated and forced to give statements under duress, which includes admission that wanted criminals were given treatment on his orders at his hospital.

The Anti-Terrorist Court will now start the trial of Dr Asim but without fair police investigation and independent prosecution, the fate of the case will be no different from others. Conviction rate in terrorism cases in the case of Karachi has been extremely disappointing. For the same reason, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his last visit to Karachi had urged upon the need of strengthening the prosecution department. In the Karachi target killing case in 2011, the Supreme Court of Pakistan asked for the depoliticisation of the Karachi police as well as making prosecution department independent. However, nothing has been done as yet.