KARACHI, Sept 28: The Sindh High Court adjourned on Tuesday the hearing of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari's plea for quashment of an artefacts and antiques smuggling case against him, known as container case at the request of a federal attorney.

The petitioner submitted that there was no evidence against him and the case was instituted in 1997 out of political spite. There was no likelihood of the trial court proceedings resulting in his conviction even if the prosecution case was upheld.

The prosecution alleges that priceless objects of antiquity were smuggled out of the country at the behest of the accused for use as decoration pieces at the Surrey Palace allegedly purchased and owned by him in England.

The consignment consisting of artefacts, statuettes, precious stones and centuries-old swords and daggers was shipped in nine big containers. The case is pending before the trial court since 1997.

As the acquittal plea came up before Justice Azizullah M. Memon on Tuesday, federal government's standing counsel Mehmood Alam Rizvi sought time to file a rejoinder. The court allowed his request for adjournment and put the hearing off to a date to be fixed by office.