Karachi: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday remanded former minister Dr Asim Hussain in police custody for four days on the charges of facilitating militants and outlaws, and corruption.
The former minister for petroleum was arrested in August by the anti-corruption authorities and was handed over to the paramilitary Rangers for probing the charges against him. The Rangers grilled Hussain for 90 days, the maximum remand period, and over night handed him to the police.
The police on Thursday brought Hussain to the ATC seeking his four-day remand.
Amir Raza, the defence lawyer for Hussain, opposed the police plea, claiming that his client was kept in the Rangers’ custody for more than 90 days and he was tortured to extract their desired statement.
He argued that the charges against Hussain were baseless and that he treated injured activists of banned militant outfits, Lyari gangs and criminals belonging to political parties.
The lawyer said as a doctor, Hussain was duty bound to treat every patient brought to his hospital as per the ethical practice of his profession.
Hussain, a confidant of Asif Ali Zardari, the chief of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a sympathiser of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was arrested in August when he was presiding over an official meeting as chairman Higher Education Commission of Sindh province.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) tasked the Rangers to probe Hussain for massive corruption in the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), the two public sector enterprises, when he was the petroleum minister.
The first information report (FIR) was registered against Hussain on Wednesday in which he was accused of selling posts in the PSO and contracted out projects in SSGC by taking huge financial favours.
Besides, he was also charged in the complaint of facilitating the terrorists.
Hussain’s name was also put on the exit control list (ECL) of the country.
Sharjeel Memon, another PPP minister, was placed on the ECL.
