Ch Nisar, NAB chairman have personal vendetta against me: Dr Asim

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Dr Asim Hussain, on Saturday, alleged that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry have launched a personal vendetta against him.

Talking to members of the press outside a NAB court after the hearing of a corruption case against him, Dr Hussain said that the interior minister and chairman NAB are influencing the NAB prosecutors.

Dr Asim's lawyer told the court that the complaint received by NAB did not include his client’s name.

“The [financial] mismanagement allegations were made after Dr Asim had completed his term as the [petroleum] minister,” the lawyer said, adding that “He honestly served as the minister from 2011 till 2013.”

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday reserved its verdict over the former petroleum minister's plea of removing his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

The PPP Karachi Division president and close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari — currently out on bail in several cases of corruption and terrorism — claims he needs urgent surgery abroad.

Dr Asim Hussain files petition to remove name from ECL

At the last hearing, the federal government had opposed the removal of Dr Hussain’s name from the no-fly list, informing the two-judge SHC bench — headed by Justice Junaid Ghaffar — that the accused has been put on the ECL on the order of the court as well as on recommendations of the NAB.

The accused faces trial in two cases of alleged corruption of over Rs450 billion and another of allegedly facilitating and treating terrorists at his medical facility — Dr Ziauddin Hospital.

The NAB prosecutor had informed the bench at the last hearing that Dr Hussain had been granted bail in the corruption cases on medical grounds, following which the court had directed him to deposit his passports and also directed the Interior Ministry to place his name on the ECL.

Dr Asim Hussain released from prison after 19 months

Dr Hussain was released from the sub-jail at Jinnah hospital in Karachi on March 31 this year after obtaining bail in all the cases lodged against him. He was arrested by the Rangers in August 2015 and then transferred into police custody.

Power of attorney plea rejected

The SHC bench also rejected Dr Hussain’s plea to transfer his power of attorney to his son, who resides in Dubai.

On May 1, the SHC had reserved its verdict on the petition.

In the earlier hearings, the judges had questioned why the petitioner wanted to transfer the power of attorney to his son as he was out of jail on bail and could look after the properties himself.

Dr Hussain’s lawyer had informed the court that while the petitioner was released on bail, he could not travel to Dubai to look after his business. He added that his client wanted his son, Amad Hussain, to look after the family businesses and properties. All the requisite documents were provided to the foreign affairs ministry for verification of the power of attorney but the officials refused, the counsel had said, pleading the court to direct the foreign ministry to do so.

Dr Asim files FIR, fears his life's under threat

The bench was informed that delays in transferring the power of attorney to Dr Hussain’s son are causing financial losses to the petitioner.

The federal government had opposed the move, alleging that the petitioner wants to transfer power of attorney to his son so he can sell the controversial properties and businesses as their source of funding is not legal.