Waseem Akhtar, Anis Kaimkhani arrested in Dr Asim terror case

Police on Tuesday afternoon arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) Waseem Akhtar and Rauf Siddiqui and Pak Sarzameen Party's Anis Kaimkhani in a case pertaining to providing treatment and shelter to alleged terrorists.

Akhtar, Siddiqui and Kaimkhani have been shifted to jail in an armoured personnel carrier (APC). Police have been ordered to arrest Abdul Qadir Patel, who is also facing charges under the same case.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) earlier in the day rejected the pre-arrest bail applications of the political leaders. The pre-arrest bail applications of Anis Kaimkhani, Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar, and Abdul Qadir Patel, who were facing charges of allegedly asking former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussian to provide treatment and shelter to alleged terrorists and gangsters at Ziauddin Hospital, were rejected.

A heavy contingent of police deployed at the premises summoned officers from the nearest police station to court.

The political leaders were on pre- arrest bail for at least six months. Their applications were fixed before the ATC- II judge for confirmation or otherwise.

Dr Asim, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, had been booked on the complaint of Rangers for allegedly treating and harbouring suspected terrorists, militants and gangsters at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of some MQM and PPP leaders.

According to the prosecution, four different parties had allegedly asked Dr Asim to provide medical treatment to "political militants", Lyari gangsters as well as activists of banned militant outfits after they sustained wounds in shootouts with police and Rangers.

A case was also registered at the North Nazimabad police station earli- er under Sections 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender), 202 (intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform), 216 (harbouring offender who has escaped from custody whose apprehension has been ordered), 216-A (penalty for harbouring robbers or dacoits), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant or banker, merchant or agent) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Sections 21-I (abetment), 21-J (harbouring any person who committed an offence under this act) and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.