Dr Asim Hussain's remand extended by five days
KARACHI: The anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday extended the remand of former petroleum minister and PPP leader Dr. Asim Hussain by five days, with the court sending Hussain back into police custody.
The Investigation Officer (IO) Altaf Hussain had asked the court to extend the remand of Hussain for an additional five days in order to complete the ongoing investigation.
During the court proceedings, Hussain was asked by the presiding judge if he had a statement to make as he was present in an "open court and he was safe in the premises."
Hussain spoke in court and stated that he was fearful for his life and that he was not aware where he was kept while in custody of security forces.
"I went with the Rangers voluntarily when the Rangers arrived to take me into custody," said Hussain.
"The cases against me for treating terrorists in my medical facilities are false and baseless."
He added that he was being subjected to mental torture while in the custody of security forces, which was detrimental to his health as he suffers from multiple health issues.
"I was made to sign documents that I was not aware of while in custody," alleged the PPP leader.
Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention on November 25, Rangers had handed Dr Asim over to police after lodging a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the PPP.
Read: Dr Asim Hussain booked under terror charges
The anti-terrorism court had remanded Dr Hussain in police custody for four days.
During the court proceedings, a conflict arose between the Sindh prosecutor general and the Rangers prosecutor over the period of remand of Dr Asim, Dawn newspaper reported.
The Rangers prosecutor opposed the four-day detention, saying Rangers had asked for a 14-day detention in the remand paper submitted in the court, but the Sindh PG had crossed it out and asked for a four-day detention instead.
The interior ministry has also added Dr Asim Hussain's name on the Exit Control List (ECL), according to sources.
According to details, the decision was taken following the request of National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
NAB is a part of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to investigate Dr Asim’s alleged corruption and his role in terror financing.
The former petroleum minister was arrested by Sindh Rangers from the office of Higher Education Commission in Clifton on August 26, 2015.