KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday acquitted several accused including PPP leader Dr Asim Hussain and Abdul Qadir Patel in the case of providing medical treatment to terrorists.
The court issued the reserved verdict after the Home Department requested to withdraw the case. The court accepted the plea to withdraw the case and acquitted all suspects.
The court also acquitted MQM leaders Waseem Akhtar, Anis Qaimkhani and Rauf Siddiqui. Pasban leader Usman Muazzam was also included in the list of accused acquitted.
The Sindh Home Department had requested to withdraw the case under Section 497 of the Penal Code. It said there is no evidence against the accused and the case should be dismissed. The investigating officer had also recommended making the case ‘Class A’ and suspended the investigation.
The case was registered against Dr Asim Hussain and others in 2015 on the complaint of the Rangers alleging that terrorists were provided treatment at his hospital.
In February this year, the Sindh Home Department on Friday gave a clean chit to former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain, Qadir Patel, MQM-P leader Anees QaimKhani, and others in the terrorism case.
During the hearing of the case, the Sindh Home Department submitted its response and requested the court to withdraw the case against Dr Asim and others over lack of evidence.
The provincial government stated that no witnesses were found against Dr Asim Hussain and other accused while the investigation officer had classified the case as A-class even in the initial stages due to lack of evidence.
The case against the accused should be dismissed under Section 494 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), the Home Department added.
In December last year, the ATC issued notices to the parties on the acquittal plea of Dr Asim Hussain.
In his petition, Dr Hussain pleaded before the ATC that a fabricated case was registered against him as the prosecution could not produce even a single witness who could testify against him during the past seven years. Therefore, he said the court should accept his acquittal plea.
