09 February 2004	Monday	17 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 8: A PPP leader has sent a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Commission and ambassadors of some important countries, telling them that Asif Ali Zardari, the spouse of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto , has been a victim of the state apparatus since the overthrow of the PPP government in November 1996.

Munir Ahmad Khan has alleged that Mr Zardari was physically tortured and threatened with death in an attempt to get him to incriminate his wife and himself.

He said Mr Zardari was offered conditional release on various occasions, but he refused to accept any compromise. He quoted a US Human Rights report as saying that the pursuit of Mr Zardari was intrinsically linked to his political opposition to Musharraf's coup and the position of his wife.

The authorities have consistently removed the entitlements due to Senator Zardari as an individual accused of a criminal offence. "For three years awaiting trial in custody, Senator Zardari was kept in solitary confinement, an unsuitable measure for an individual presumed to be innocent."

Mr Zardari, it said, had been flown from different parts of the country in the middle of the night, using false court appearances as pretexts. This had been done as an attempt to obtain Zardari's acquiescence to the intentions of the regime.

"Under the international law, prisoners are allowed time for exercise. This right has also been denied to Senator Zardari. Without exercise, Zardari's health has deteriorated. He has lost vision, developed high blood pressure and diabetes, and is now taking medicine for these complaints," read the letter.

Mr Zardari, it said, was charged with offences that allegedly occurred prior to the passage of the Accountability (Ehtesab) Act 1997 and the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 (and as amended in 2000).

This legislation had been amended on seven occasions, all with retrospective effect, creating new offences and conferring heavier penalties upon conviction than were legislated for at the time of the allegations. The letter also pointed out various lacunae in the trial and violation of his rights.