HYDERABAD, May 22: The leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party have condemned the award of three years imprisonment to party chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

In a joint statement issued here on Wednesday, district president Pervez Ahmed Ansari, vice president Zaheeruddin Ghumman and general secretary Zahid Bhurgari said it was an accepted principle of law that no one could be convicted without hearing him or her.

They alleged that the conviction of Ms Bhutto was aimed at keeping the PPP away from the ensuing general elections.

They reminded the rulers that it was due to these tactics that Pakistan was broken and claimed that the rulers were least concerned with the dangers confronting the country.

They called upon the rulers to constitute an interim government for holding free elections and go to the borders to defend the country.