Zardari moves Islamabad HC for bail; Musharraf in hospital

ISLAMABAD: After ex-PM Nawaz Sharif was released from prison on bail owing to poor health, the Islamabad high court on Tuesday admitted a petition from former president, Asif Ali Zardari, seeking bail in two graft cases. The hearing is slated for Wednesday.
Zardari was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog, in June after his pre-arrest bail was cancelled by the Islamabad HC in the two cases.
In October, Zardari was shifted from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), a government-run hospital in Islamabad, after a medical board certified that the former president needs intensive medical care, as he is suffering from a cardiac problem, diabetes, and other ailments.
In his petition, the former president and co-chairman of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said he is suffering from a heart condition and has three stents in his body. He further said he is suffering from diabetes and must constantly monitor his blood sugar levels. Along with the application, Zardari also submitted his medical reports.
Zardari, his sister, Faryal Talpur, and other accused face charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in cases related to two real estate firms. The Islamabad high court has also admitted the bail application of Talpur.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was admitted to a hospital in Dubai on Monday after he developed “heart- and blood pressure-related” complications, his party sources claimed.
Last week, a special court trying Musharraf for high treason gave him time till December 5 to record his statement, but warned that it was not bound to follow the high court’s order against announcing the verdict.
The Islamabad high court had accepted Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government’s request to stop the special court from announcing the verdict against Musharraf in a case of high treason after the special court had ruled on November 19 that it would announce its verdict on November 28.
The case against Musharraf was filed by the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in December 2013, under Article 6 of the Constitution, over his imposition of emergency in the country in November 2007. He was indicted in the case in March 2014.