Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, on Monday, announced that the party will submit a bail petition for former president Asif Ali Zardari on medical grounds. Earlier the PPP claimed that the former President shall not seek bail on health grounds. “Asif Ali Zardari will not leave the country,” was the claim. But now analysts and opinion-makers believe that Zardari is likely to follow the footsteps of Nawaz Sharif. Notably, Sharif left the country on health grounds.
So Asif Ali Zardari will use the shoulder of his children & family to put forth a bail plea on medical grounds.
This called a U-TURN.@BBhuttoZardari & PPPhttps://t.co/gst5hVFRUM
— KHURRAM (@MahmoodK69) December 3, 2019
Addressing reporters after meeting his ailing father at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Bilawal said that the party will file a bail plea on medical grounds for the former president who has a case against him in relation to fake bank accounts.
Bilawal said that the PPP will not retreat from its political point of view and file a petition on Tuesday, adding that Zardari had agreed to file a bail petition after being persuaded by his two daughters — Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari for over an hour.
He also pointed out that the PPP does not trust Pakistani doctors. However, he did not explain his statement. “We do not trust Pakistani doctors,” the PPP chairman told media.
Read more: PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan has said Asif Ali Zardari is “Iron Man”
Bilawal remarked on the meeting with Zardari that a number of things related to the country’s political situation came under discussion. “Our Foundation Day rally was very successful and Kashmiris showed full participation in it… We have decided to observe the death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto at Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27,” he said.
Earlier this month, an accountability court earlier dismissed a plea seeking permission to move former president Zardari to Karachi for medical treatment.
Zardari’s counsel Farooq H Naik had filed an application seeking better facilities for Faryal Talpur — a PPP leader and Zardari’s sister.
Zardari arrested
Zardari was arrested in June after his bail application was rejected in connection to the fake bank accounts case. According to the anti-corruption watchdog, Zardari fraudulently obtained Rs1.5 billion in loans for his Park Lane Company through other firms. The bureau has alleged that Zardari, in connivance with the former prime minister and fellow party leader Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, illegally obtained three luxury bullet-proof cars, two BMWs and one Toyota Lexus from the Toshakhana (the state gift repository), which were gifted by the governments of UAE and Libya.
JUST IN: Former president Asif Ali Zardari has filed in the Islamabad High Court a request for bail on medical grounds.
NAB has arrested him for his alleged involvement in the Park Lane and money laundering references#samaatv pic.twitter.com/678i5V1npZ
— Samaa News (@SamaaEnglish) December 3, 2019
Mr. Zardari is accused of misuse of authority which resulted in a heavy loss to the national exchequer. Zardari has threatened the sitting government that he will topple it. Analysts believe that when Zardari saw that diplomatic channels were not workable he decided to confront PTI by threats of a long march.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited Asif Zardari and his son to Islamabad. “I invite you and your son: come and stage a dharna in Islamabad,” the prime minister said, adding that he will not only arrange containers for the PPP leaders but also provide them food.
“Iron man”
PPP senior leader Aitzaz Ahsan has said that Asif Ali Zardari shall not bow down at any cost. He drew a comparison between the tenacity of Zardari and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, calling Asif Zardari an ‘iron man who is a steadfast and determined person’. Adding that Asif Zardari’s condition is more severe than Nawaz Sharif. He recalled that living up to his legacy Nawaz Sharif again fled from the country as he did in 2000. He said that unlike Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari is staying in Pakistan to fight his cases. He expressed his views while talking to the media.
“Medical board shall recommend something political”
The medical board is likely to be formed in order to determine the health condition of the former president. It is worth noting here that the medical Board overseeing the treatment of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reportedly recommended that he [Nawaz] needs to go abroad for his treatment. “Health department should talk to us,” Prof Dr. Mehmood Ayaz told reporters, adding that the medical board set up for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader’s treatment would give in writing that he needs to undergo genetic test from abroad.
Read more: Its Zardari’s turn now: PPP intensifies efforts to gain relief on medical grounds
According to Dr. Ayaz, the medical board recommended that a genetic test be carried out after it was observed that Nawaz’s platelets could not be raised to normal levels and that his sugar and blood pressure levels were also inconsistent.
Dr. Ayaz said that Nawaz’s health, overall, had seen an improvement. “If he wishes to travel, he can.” When asked about Nawaz’s health indicators, the doctor said that while his condition has seen a slight improvement, his CBC report has shown a decline in platelet levels yet again. His platelet levels now stand at 30,000 per microliter, he said.
Political commentators believe that something more or less is likely to be cooked up in the present case and the former President shall be allowed to leave Pakistan.