LAHORE, Sept 20: A drug-trafficking case against former senator Asif Ali Zardari and two others was taken up by the newly-appointed district and sessions judge on Saturday.

Muhammad Khalil Chaudhry is the fourth DSJ to take up this case after Mian Muhammad Jehangir, Rana Zahid Mahmood and Muhammad Akram Bitu.

However, the newly-appointed DSJ adjourned the proceedings till Oct 11 without recording any progress. An application moved by Mr Zardari against the statement of a prosecution witness would be heard on the next date of hearing.

Despite the indictment of Mr Zardari and co-accused Shohrang Khan and Arif Baloch in the case in July 1999, the prosecution evidence is yet to be concluded.

Mr Zardari is accused of patronizing drug-trafficking in this case. He was granted bail in Dec 2001 but arrested in connection with another NAB reference the following day.

He had moved an application for deletion of the testimony of one Mushtaq Prince from judicial record on grounds that he was not cited as a witness in the list provided by the prosecution at the start of trial. Besides, “the testimony was irrelevant, aimed at maligning Mr Zardari”.

Mr Prince had deposed before the court last year that he had shared a drug-trafficking business with Mr Zardari for three years and made $30 million. He claimed to have been introduced to Mr Zardari in 1981 by one of the latter’s close friends Fauzi Ali Kazmi — already declared a proclaimed offender in the case — at the residence of the then Sindh information secretary Ahmad Masood.

As alleged by the witness, a few days after the first meeting, Mr Fauzi called him to his residence, where Mr Zardari was also present. He was dealing in sugar trade in those days. After negotiations, the two persons allegedly decided to form a partnership with Mr Zardari for international drug-trafficking. In the wake of this agreement, consignments of hash and heroin were allegedly sent to Netherlands and other countries. —Reporter