Pak former president Zardari gets bail on medical grounds

Pakistan's former president Asif Ali Zardari was on Wednesday granted bail on medical grounds by a court here in two corruption cases, according to media reports.

Zardari, 64, who was arrested in June, approached the court on December 3 seeking bail on medical grounds in two corruption cases pertaining to fake accounts.

A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court also directed Zardari, chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), to submit surety bonds worth Rs 10 million each in the two cases, The Express Tribune reported.

The court had on December 4 constituted a medical board to examine Zardari's health condition and directed it to submit its report.

According to Geo TV, Zardari, in his bail plea, had claimed that he was suffering from a heart condition and diabetes.

Last month, Zardari was transferred from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad after his health deteriorated, the report said.

The petition also states that Zardari suffers from arthritis with a low platelet count, and all these illnesses cannot be treated within the premises of the jail, The Express Tribune reported.

“The petitioner's condition makes it evident that his continued incarceration would prove detrimental to his life,” it said.