KARACHI, Aug 29: District and Session Judge Karachi Central, Zafar Ahmed Khan Sherwani, on Friday dismissed the state’s application seeking transfer of ex-PPP senator Asif Ali Zardari to Punjab for the hearing of the pending cases against him.

The state’s counsel filed application before the Judge who fixed hearing for September 5 of the trial against Mr Zardari and others in the murder case of Justice Nizam Ahmed and his son Nadeem Ahmed, and directed the jail superintendent to ensure that Asif Zardari, spouse of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is not transferred from Karachi till the next hearing.

It was submitted in the transfer application that the production order of Mr Zardari for September 2 was issued by the Accountability Court in Attock.

The court was prayed to vacate its orders pertaining to the shifting of custody so that accused could be produced before the accountability court.

Defence’s counsel vehemently opposed the state’s plea and contended that the Attock Accountability Court was shifted to Rawalpindi. They stated their client was produced after a lapse of two and a half years for facing the said trail.

The court linked its order with undertaking by the state’s counsel about the production of Mr Zardari on the next hearing, which he refused to do.

Special public prosecutor Naseem Tanoli appeared for the state, while Azizullah K Sheikh and Shahadat Awan advocates appeared for defence.—PPI