ISLAMABAD: A special bench of the Islamabad High Court on Wednesday approved the bail of former president Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds. The former president was asked to submit surety bonds worth Rs10 million in order to get bail.
Last week, the IHC had admitted a bail plea filed by the former president seeking bail on medical grounds in the fake accounts case initiated against him by the National Accountability Bureau. In his bail plea, Zardari said he was suffering from a heart condition and diabetes. Zardari had been arrested by NAB on June 10 after cancellation of his pre-arrest bail.
Last month, Zardari had been transferred from judicial custody at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad after his health deteriorated. In the proceedings held today into the bail petition filed by Zardari, Farooq Naek, the counsel for the former president, submitted the medical reports of the Pakistan Peoples Party chief to the court.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq presided over the hearing. Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzeb Bharwana and Deputy Prosecutor General Muzaffar Abbas presented themselves before the court on behalf of the accountability bureau. Upon the directions of the bench, NAB prosecutors read the medical report of Zardari.
According to the medical report, the former president is suffering from several diseases, including a heart condition, and is admitted to PIMS to get the best possible treatment. The court was assured that Zardai had access to doctors of his choice for seeking medical advise and assistance.
