KARACHI: The row between the provincial government and the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) over the trial of Dr Asim Hussain, a PPP leader and close confidante of former president Asif Zardari, deepened on Saturday when the paramilitary force approached the Sindh High Court against the replacement of the prosecutorin the case.

Deputy Superintendent of Rangers (DSP) Inayatullah Durrani, who was the complainant in the FIR against Dr Hussain, filed a constitutional petition requesting the court to restrain the Sindh government fromchanging Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mushtaq Jahangiri.

He said there was ample evidence about the involvement of Dr Hussain in corrupt practices as well as treatment and harbouring of terrorists at his hospital`s branches in Clifton and North Nazimabad.

The petitioner said that former investigation officer of the case Rao Zulfiqar had prepared a charge-sheet after recording the statements of several witnesses.

He, however, said Mr Rao was replaced with DSP Altaf Hussain who destroyed the evidence and spoiled the case of the prosecution to release Dr Asim under Section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The petitioner alleged that the Sindh government was pressurising the home department to replace Mushtaq Jahangiri because he had refused to approve the report for release of Dr Asim.

He requested the court to restrain the provincial government from replacing SPP Jahangiri.

On Friday, Mr Jahangiri moved the court requesting it to restrain the provincial authorities from de-notifying him as SSP.

In his petition, he accused the newly-appointed investigation officer, DSP Altaf Hussain, of conducting an unfair and partial investigation to favour Dr Asim.

SPP Jahangiri said the first investigation officer of the case had collected sufficient material evidence, including documentary evidence, against the accused and he was going to submit the charge-sheet before the administrative judge of antiterrorism courts.

However, he said, the DIG West trans-ferred the inquiry to DSP Hussain who conducted a partial and unfair probe in favour of Dr Hussain and dropped terrorism-related charges against him while releasing him under 497 (ii) of the CrPC.

The SPP said the DSP conducted the probe against the facts and evidence collected by the first investigation officer because of pressure from his high-ups and influential personallties and tried to screen the terror suspects booked in the case from action by releasing the former minister on ball.

He apprehended that the provincial government might pull him out of the case unjustly and without out any plausible reason.

Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention on Nov 25, the Rangers had handed Dr Hussain over to police after lodging a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at his hospital at the behest of MQM and PPP leaders.

The arrest of Dr Hussain, who is chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, came on Aug 26 and was described as the first major action against PPP leaders during the Karachi operation. KARACHI: The row between the provincial government and the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) over the trial of Dr Asim Hussain, a PPP leader and close confidante of former president Asif Zardari, deepened on Saturday when the paramilitary force approached the Sindh High Court against the replacement of the prosecutorin the case.

Deputy Superintendent of Rangers (DSP) Inayatullah Durrani, who was the complainant in the FIR against Dr Hussain, filed a constitutional petition requesting the court to restrain the Sindh government fromchanging Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Mushtaq Jahangiri.

He said there was ample evidence about the involvement of Dr Hussain in corrupt practices as well as treatment and harbouring of terrorists at his hospital`s branches in Clifton and North Nazimabad.

The petitioner said that former investigation officer of the case Rao Zulfiqar had prepared a charge-sheet after recording the statements of several witnesses.

He, however, said Mr Rao was replaced with DSP Altaf Hussain who destroyed the evidence and spoiled the case of the prosecution to release Dr Asim under Section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The petitioner alleged that the Sindh government was pressurising the home department to replace Mushtaq Jahangiri because he had refused to approve the report for release of Dr Asim.

He requested the court to restrain the provincial government from replacing SPP Jahangiri.

On Friday, Mr Jahangiri moved the court requesting it to restrain the provincial authorities from de-notifying him as SSP.

In his petition, he accused the newly-appointed investigation officer, DSP Altaf Hussain, of conducting an unfair and partial investigation to favour Dr Asim.

SPP Jahangiri said the first investigation officer of the case had collected sufficient material evidence, including documentary evidence, against the accused and he was going to submit the charge-sheet before the administrative judge of antiterrorism courts.

However, he said, the DIG West trans-ferred the inquiry to DSP Hussain who conducted a partial and unfair probe in favour of Dr Hussain and dropped terrorism-related charges against him while releasing him under 497 (ii) of the CrPC.

The SPP said the DSP conducted the probe against the facts and evidence collected by the first investigation officer because of pressure from his high-ups and influential personallties and tried to screen the terror suspects booked in the case from action by releasing the former minister on ball.

He apprehended that the provincial government might pull him out of the case unjustly and without out any plausible reason.

Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention on Nov 25, the Rangers had handed Dr Hussain over to police after lodging a case against him for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists at his hospital at the behest of MQM and PPP leaders.

The arrest of Dr Hussain, who is chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, came on Aug 26 and was described as the first major action against PPP leaders during the Karachi operation.