Supreme Court Thursday allowed Pakistan People Party leader Dr Asim Hussain to visit abroad for medical treatment while issuing directives to the concerned authorities to remove his name from Exit Control List (ECL). A two-member bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Qazi Faez Isa passed the order in response to a plea of former advisor to prime minister for Ministry of Oil and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain seeking removal of his name from the ECL.
It is worth mentioning that earlier a three-member bench headed by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan had allowed Dr Asim Hussain to go abroad on August 29 maintaining that the authorities are at liberty to reenter his name on the ECL upon his arrival after the surgery. Once Dr Asim Hussain returned from abroad on October 6, 2017 the concerned authorities placed his name again on the ECL to which he invoked apex court's jurisdiction for permission to proceed abroad for medical checkup.
During the course of proceedings, Justice Qazi Faiz Isa questioned why the standard of justice is not the same for all the citizens. Without taking name of former Army Chief and President Pervez Musharraf, the judge observed that the accused against whom serious cases like high treason are pending are also abroad. He inquired whether the government has taken any step to bring such people back from abroad.
Sardar Latif Khosa, counsel for the petitioner apprised the bench that his client had gone abroad with the permission of the court but he came back as per his commitment. However his name was again placed on ECL. Dr Asim, a close friend of former President Asif Ali Zardari was apprehended on the complaint of Rangers for allegedly treating and harboring suspected terrorists at North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital in Karachi at the behest of some MQM and PPP leaders.
Corruption references had also been filed against the former minister by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for allegedly causing massive losses to the national kitty through corrupt practices. His name was placed on the ECL in November 2015 following the corruption charges against him.
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