Politician incarcerated

August 26, 2016
 |  11,309 Comments

By Dr Asim Hussain

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he prolonged detention of 365 days which is continuing without any concrete evidence is not easy to cope, but with the blessings of Allah Almighty I have faced it with bravery and courage. The story began on August 26, 2015, on a bright sunshine day in Karachi, but the darkest day of my life when I was picked up at 10 am without any warrant from my office (Sindh Higher Education Commission) by the LEAs. I was presented before Anti-Terrorism Court on 27th August 2015 and handed over to Rangers’ custody without any charges for 90 days. Today it has been a year, I have been in solitary confinement in cells, hospitals and chained, blind folded, handcuffed and threatened. My media trial was carried out, videos made, confession extracted under duress and coercion. It is worst kind of oppression and human rights violation in this era. It all started with certain colleagues who had professional jealousy with me. They missed informed certain influential officials of wrong facts about me and then the political vendetta began by the so called democratic government. All cases made against me are based on disclosures made during my custody. Although no disclosures are made by me and cases are concocted and frivolous. I would like to give a glimpse of the ordeal of my family. My wife is a cancer patient, my mother is 90 year old and I have to look after them. My hospitals have been raided, staff harassed, bank pressurized for closing banking lines and the auditors blackmailed. As a patriot I served the country and did not go abroad like other doctors. I proudly served Pakistan Army as National Service. I worked with Sindh govt for ten years, and later with my parents worked vigorously on a mission to contribute to health and education to mitigate the suffering of the common man. I established state-of-the-art hospitals and a university, dedicated to my grandfather late Dr. Sir Ziauddin Ahmed, Ex. Vice-Chancellor Aligarh Muslim University who spent his life for the cause of Muslims of the sub-continent. I have been recipient of Sitara-e-Hilal and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, due to my outstanding humanitarian services for the nation. My services are well known in the field of health and education not only national but also international. I am the first politician to be behind the bars in the current democratic setup. This seems to be an act of victimization and personal vendetta. My incarceration is an egoistic feeling of the mighty and powerful against a weak and helpless. I have respect for the institutions of the country and will defend my case and I will be victorious because I have not done anything wrong whatsoever. I will stand by my principles and as a reverence to the people of Pakistan. Allah Almighty blesses all. Pakistan Zindabad, Patriotism Paindabad. – (The writer is former Minister for Petroleum and National Resources and serving Chairman, Sindh Higher Education Commission)

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