ISLAMABAD, Dec 26: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has condemned the continued victimization of Asif Ali Zardari and other PPP leaders by denying them bail on medical ground.

The PPP spokesman was commenting on reports that former Air Marshal (Rtd) Waqar Azeem, who was serving a jail term of seven years in a corruption case, was released after Gen Pervez Musharraf set aside the remaining jail term on “health grounds”.

A few weeks ago Awami National Party leader Azam Hoti, who was undergoing jail term after being convicted by an accountability court, was also released on ‘medical ground’, the spokesman said.

He said Mr Zardari was granted bail on medical grounds by four different courts. He was also granted bail by the sessions judge, Lahore, in a narcotics case, but, was not set free as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) rearrested him in another unspecified case.

“The regime’s refusal to release him is blatant which must be condemned by members of the civil society,” he added.

The PPP spokesman said the continued incarceration of Mr Zardari was aimed at political victimization of Benazir Bhutto to keep her out of politics.

“But, no matter what the junta does, it will never succeed in its designs,” he said.

The spokesman said this treatment meted out to Mr Zardari was proof enough that he was being used as a pawn in the game of power politics.