26 September 2004	Sunday	10 Shaban 1425

LAHORE, Sept 25: An anti-narcotics court on Saturday took serious view of the absence of the defence of Asif Al Zardari, who is facing drug trafficking charges, and directed them to make sure that they appeared on Oct 9 when the case would be heard again.

Both Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa and Farooq H Naik did not turn up at the Kot Lakhpat Jail where the trial of the drug trafficking charges is taking place.

The prosecution, represented by Maj Aftab (retired) and other lawyers, made a complaint with the court that by absenting themselves the defence were using delaying tactic to prolong the proceedings to make political mileage of the delay in the completion of the trial.

The court allowed the request of the counsel of co-accused Arif Baloch to summon the doctor for cross examination. Baloch had requested the court that he be shifted to a hospital because of his acute illness. The court got him medically examined and the doctor said in his report that the illness was too serious to warrant his admission to a hospital.

Mr Zardari is facing charges of drug trafficking from a date when a person from the NWFP, Shorang Khan, told police in a statement in custody that he (Zardari) was the main figure behind an international drug trafficking network. Police recorded Shorang Khan's statement after heroin from the car he was driving was recovered in 1998 and he and Arif Baloch were arrested. The case was registered by the Qila Gujjar Singh police.

The husband of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto was shifted from the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore this morning. He was taken back to Rawalpindi in the afternoon.