Medical board declares Asif Zardari fit

Asif Zardari’s diabetes and blood pressure were completely normal

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The medical board on Monday has completed medical checkup of former president and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and declared him fit after he was arrested the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) following the refusal of his pre-arrest bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The medical board comprising Dr Asif Kamran, Dr Hamid Iqbalk abd Dr Imtiaz Hassan conducted medical examination on the PPP co-chairman for about two hours.

Asif Zardari’s diabetes and blood pressure were completely normal. Following the medical examination, the medical board declared the former president completely fit.

Earlier, the former president had surrendered himself to a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) after Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur’s pre-arrest bail plea in the money laundering case.

Following the refusal of his pre-arrest bail, a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) accompanied by police personnel had reached the residence of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in order to arrest him.

Heavy contingent of police had been deployed near Zardari House to avoid any untoward incident. All the roads leading to Zardari House had been sealed off.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto were present on the ocassion. The NAB team did not arrest Faryal Talpur though.

Asif Zardari was taken to NAB office in Rawalpindi where he was shifted and to cell no 2. The former president will be presented before the accountability court on Tuesday where the NAB will appeal for his remand.

Small scuffles erupted between police and supporters of Zardari s Pakistan People s Party (PPP) outside his family s residence in Islamabad as he was taken into custody.

The charges in the latest case centre around allegations Zardari laundered vast sums of money through suspect bank accounts and companies.

NAB is conducting investigations in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the money laundering of billions through fake accounts case wherein it forwarded the joint investigation team (JIT) report with directions to investigate and file references.

Earlier, the case was being heard in a banking court in Karachi but had been shifted to an accountability court in Islamabad upon an appeal by the NAB.

Last year, authorities discovered several accounts in the name of poor people that had been flooded with cash, then suddenly emptied. Supreme Court established a commission in September to investigate the scourge, finding that at least US$400 million had passed through "thousands of false accounts".

Zardari has repeatedly dismissed allegations he had a hand in the scheme. Never popular and always shrouded in controversy, Zardari -- who was once jailed for 11 years for corruption -- stepped down from the president s office in 2013. But he has continued to serve as co-chairman of the opposition PPP.

The arrest comes as the economy continues to spiral and discontent simmers in Pakistan following repeated devalutions of the rupee, soaring inflation, and rising utility prices.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is also currently behind bars, after being sentenced to seven years in prison late last year on corruption charges.