Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leader Anis Qaimkhani has also been taken into custody.
All the political figures have been shifted to Central Jail Karachi except Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qadir Patel who left the court premises following the orders of his arrest.
However, he claimed, “I have not fled. I left because the gates of the court were closed.”
Rejecting ATC’s orders, Qadir Patel has also announced to go to the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police has reached PPP’s politician’s residence in Karachi to arrest him after the ATC issued his non-bailable arrest warrants. Sindh Interior Minister has also issued a notification to arrest Qadir Patel.
Sources also report a verbal argument between Karachi’s mayor nominee and former petroleum minister Dr Asim.
“Because of you, we are witnessing this day today,” said disappointed Akhtar to Dr Asim.
Dr Asim was later taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Hospital where is undergoing a treatment.
Earlier, the ATC rejected pre-arrest bail applications of MQM, PSP and PPP leaders in a case pertaining to providing treatment and shelter to alleged terrorists.
Wasim Akhtar, Anis Qaimkhani and others – facing charges of allegedly asking the former petroleum minister to provide treatment and shelter to alleged terrorists and gangsters at Ziauddin Hospital – were barred from leaving the court.
Declaring his arrest ‘unconstitutional and unlawful’ he said, “Today, the court has accepted the fake Joint Interrogation Team (JIT) report.”
The ATC court has now summoned Wasim Akhtar on August 3.
Dr Asim Hussain terror facilitation case
A close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Asim is already under the custody of the law enforcement agencies in the case related to the provision of medical assistance and shelter to terrorists and criminals belonging to banned outfits, MQM and Lyari-based groups at his private hospitals.
Deputy Superintendent Rangers had registered a First Information Report (FIR) that alleged that Dr Asim provided facilitation to terror elements in the country on the behest of MQM leaders Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, Wasim Akhtar, Saleem Shahzad, PSP leader Anis Qaimkhani and PPP leader Qadir Patel.
ATC had already discarded bail for the former federal minister in the terror facilitation case in June. He has been facing charges of helping and protecting terrorists at his hospitals in Karachi.
Dr Asim, currently in the custody of NAB, was arrested by Rangers on charges of corruption and facilitating terrorists in August 2015.
