October 6, 2005	Thursday	Ramazan 1, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 5: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has condemned the re-opening of a dead reference against the former first lady Begum Nusrat Bhutto and termed it the worst form of persecution by the rulers.

An Accountability Court in Lahore on Tuesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to furnish with it a list of the properties allegedly owned by Begum Nusrat Bhutto and inform it about her whereabouts in writing. The court also called for a report from the Karachi and Lahore police on the execution of warrants for her arrest before adjourning the case till October 19.

An application on behalf of Benazir Bhutto for her mother was also filed with the accountability court that was made part of the record.

In a statement, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Deputy Parliamentary Leader of the party in the National Assembly, deplored that a medical certificate had already been submitted to the court that Begum Bhutto was dependent on full-time care and was therefore unable to defend herself but it was not entertained.

He said the reopening of the case was a worst manifestation of political vendetta.

“It only demonstrates the viciousness and vendetta of the rulers,” he said, adding that it was intended only to torture the Bhutto family and pave way for eliminating the genuine representatives of the people to perpetuate dictatorship.

Raja Pervez Ashraf said that Begum Nusrat Bhutto was too sick to stand trial and under the law she could not be tried, as she was not in a position to defend herself.

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