19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned for Thursday the hearing of a bail application of Asif Ali Zardari in a BMW reference case.

A three-member SC bench, comprising Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, Justice Rana Bhagwan Das and Justice Hamid Ali Mirza, adjourned the hearing after Ibrahim Satti representing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) sought time to place on record certain documents after seeking it from the trial court concerning the case.

Prominent PPP leaders, former Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and former defence minister Aftab Shahban Meerani were also present to witness the court proceedings.

Zardari is accused of importing a 1993 model bullet-proof BMW from Sweden in the name of a student to evade millions of rupees in customs duty during the second term of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The total evasion of custom duties was estimated to be Rs14.2 million.

Qaim Ali Shah, while talking to the reporters after the hearing, brushed aside the impression that any deal was being struck between the government and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), saying had it been so, Zardari would have been out not languishing in the jail.

He said Ms Bhutto was the only leader who could steer the country out of the present crisis. Zardari was simply a political worker, he said, adding whenever the chance arose Ms Bhutto would be the prime minister.

He said the government of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had failed on all fronts. The Election Commission had also lost its credibility as it failed to address scores of complaints about the rigging in the Tharparkar by-elections. He expressed concern over the shortage of irrigation water in the country especially in Sindh.

The famous Water Accord of 1991 was not being properly implemented as a result of which the water passage at the Sukkur Barrage was all time low, he said.

Mr Shah was of the view that the party has become stronger than ever during the five-year term of President Gen Pervez Musharraf despite attempts to divide it.

The success of a large number of PPP candidates in the Oct 12 elections for Northern Areas Legislative Assembly was evident to prove the fact, he said.