LAHORE, Nov 5: Former senator Asif Ali Zardari has not been pressing for his application for over the last 12 months seeking pre-mature acquittal of drug trafficking charges being faced by him in Lahore considering it to be a “futile exercise” in co-existence of other cases against him.

As disclosed by Mr Zardari’s counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, the defence has not been pressing intentionally for this application moved last year under 265-K CrPC in anticipation of his exoneration from all other cases registered against him since December, 1996.

“His exoneration in this case alone will not result in his free movement and every effort in this regard will go in vain unless the state withdraws all the other criminal cases including a long chain of NAB references in public interest which we hope to happen,” his counsel told Dawn.

According to him, the state can withdraw all the cases against Zardari under Section 493 CrPC which authorizes it to withdraw from prosecution against any accused in public interest. It is worth mentioning that proceedings of this case have remained halted since June last for unknown reasons. Mr Zardari has been tried by three district and sessions judges of Lahore —- Mian Jehangir, Rana Zahid Mahmood, Akram Baitu —- since his indictment in this case in July, 1999.

Interestingly, as confirmed by both the prosecutor and defence counsel, the district and sessions judge trying him in this case adjourned the proceedings on last Saturday for two weeks even before the arrival of the two counsel.

The previous two proceedings were adjourned without any progress owing to the leave of the judge while no proceedings took place in another third hearing owing to his engagement.

According to the defence counsel, presently Mr Zardari’s arrival to the Kot Lakhpat Jail for attending the proceedings of this case had been giving a get-together opportunity for the party workers and his friends.

“There is no harm if he (even in the capacity of an accused) comes to Lahore every week to exchange views with his friends on politics and other latest national issues,” Mr Khosa said.

Despite all hopes and speculations made by the defence that all the cases against Mr Zardari would be withdrawn, his counsel believes that the present case is totally baseless and state will be wise enough to withdraw it to save its head. In his yet-to-be-argued application, the accused has pleaded that the then ANF director-general had refused to own this case referred by the Nawankot police on grounds that there was no incriminating evidence against him and acceptance of this case by the ANF could damage its international reputation.

As claimed by the accused, the investigating officer in this case himself had conceded before the Lahore High Court that this case was registered under directions from former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif and former Ehtesab Bureau chairman Saifur Rehman.