Asif Ali Zardari granted bail on medical grounds

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has approved the bail petition of former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The petitioner has been directed to submit Rs10 million surety bonds in the court. Asif Ali Zardari is facing corruption charges and currently, he is in the PIMS hospital owing to his worsening health.

A two-member special bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice IHC, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamir Farooq heard the bail plea of Asif Ali Zardari seeking his release on medical grounds.

During the hearing, the medical report of the former president was presented before the court.

“Will you oppose his bail petition after getting the medical report?,” remarked the IHC chief justice.

Read: IHC directs PIMS to constitute new medical board for Asif Ali Zardari

CJ IHC Justice Athar Minallah asked National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Jahanzaib Bharwana to review the medical report of the petitioner. The chief justice directed the prosecutor to read it out loud in the courtroom.

Bharwana read the report which stated the symptoms of diseases and recommended immediate medical treatment to the patient. The report was prepared by the medical board of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital constituted over directives of the court.

Later, the IHC bench approved the bail plea of Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds.

The high court bench, in the same hearing, proceeded the pre-arrest bail petition of Zardari’s sibling Faryal Talpur. However, the hearing of bail petition of Talpur was adjourned till December 17.

Read: Asif Zardari’s personal physician changed

In the previous hearing held on December 4, the court had directed the PIMS hospital to constitute a new medical board to examine ailing former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Zardari’s counsel Farooq H. Naek apprised the court that his client is suffering from several diseases like heart, sugar and others and pleaded to pass orders for his release on bail.

The IHC CJ, Athar Minhallah asked Naek whether the medical report of the former president attached with the plea or not.

To this, he replied yes, the report is of PIMS hospital is attached with the plea.

It is pertinent to mention here that Zardari had filed the bail petition seeking his release on medical grounds in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on December 2.