ISLAMABAD: Finally Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari appeared in an accountability court in Rawalpindi on Thursday to face the assets reference and was granted exemption from attending further proceedings.

The court agreed that Mr Zardari’s lawyer could represent him in the case.

The court’s judge, Khalid Ranjha, asked Mr Zardari who would represent him in the court at next hearings. He replied that his counsel would be Senator Farooq Naek.

The judge asked Mr Naek to submit an affidavit that he would attend all hearings on behalf of Mr Zardari.

He asked Prosecutor General of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Waqas Qadeer Dar, if he had any objection to the exemption sought by Mr Zardari.

The prosecutor general said that usually he and his department opposed such pleas but he had no objection in the case of the PPP leader who faced serious security threats and his appearance in the court would cause problems to people.

He said that the way from the main road to the court was not secure because of its dilapidated condition and lack of proper security cover. “On the other hand, the threat of terrorism is intensifying.”

PPP co-chairman granted exemption from appearance in further proceedings

The judge also asked the NAB’s prosecutor general to submit an affidavit about his acceptance of the exemption. Mr Dar obeyed the order.

Mr Zardari was accompanied by former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, PPP leaders Nayyar Bukhari, Rahman Malik, Manzoor Wattoo, Sherry Rehman, Qamar-uz-Zaman Kaira and Farhatullah Babar. After appearing in the court, the former president returned to Karachi.

Mr Zardari had skipped two early hearings on May 5 and 13 because of illness and security concerns.

The court reopened the assets reference against Mr Zardari on April 17 at the request of the NAB’s Special Prosecutor Raja Khurram Ejaz. He had argued that Mr Zardari could not be tried earlier because of the immunity he enjoyed as head of the state. Now the immunity had expired.

In the reference, Mr Zardari and his slain wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, have been accused of acquiring assets through illegal means.

According to sources, the reopening of the reference was necessary to seek legal assistance from Switzerland for repatriation of Mr Zardari’s assets for which the government had recently written to the Swiss authorities.

The Swiss government has been informed that the authorities in Pakistan are conducting an investigation against Mr Zardari and others with the objective of obtaining a penal judgement and confiscating a specific asset — a jewellery set.

Last year, Islamabad’s accountability court cleared the PPP co-chairman in three corruption references filed by NAB 17 years ago. But he still faces the SGS and Cotecna references.

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2015

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