LAHORE, March 14: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday summoned Hakim Ali Zardari, the father-in-law of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, to appear on March 30 for failing to pursue his case himself or through his counsel.

Mr Zardari moved the LHC in a writ petition against the decision of an accountability court under which his plea for acquittal was dismissed in a reference which charged him with using his political influence to secure a commercial plot in Rawalpindi cantonment, allotted to Mr Zardari and his wife Zarreen, to set up a gas station.

Hashim Babar, a former director-general (lands) of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, is also a co-accused in the reference.

When the acquittal petition was taken up by the division bench, Mr Zardari’s counsel Dr Babar Awan was not present. Advocate Pir Mohammad Masood Chishti stood up to defend the petition but he did not have the necessary authorisation from the petitioner. The court took serious notice of the attitude of the petitioner and summoned him on March 30 to appear in person.