ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: Former prime minister and chairperson of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto has hailed the Supreme Court verdict granting bail to her husband Asif Ali Zardari as a 'triumph of justice'.

"This morning's verdict... demonstrates that those who show patience, and persevere are ultimately rewarded," she said in her reaction to the granting of bail to Mr Zardari.

According to the PPP media cell, the former premier said that her head bowed in gratitude to Allah for vindicating Asif Zardari. "Asif upheld the banner of PPP with the courage of bravest of the brave," she said.

Benazir Bhutto said that given the permissible remissions according to jail manual Asif Zardari had already completed the maximum term of life imprisonment without being convicted.

She said that the long years of imprisonment had stolen the youth, health and family life from Asif. The PPP chairperson said that no one could give back to Asif the time he could have spent with his mother before she left this world, the time he could have spent with his children as they grew from infants to teenagers or the time he could spend with his father who is now in his seventies.

She added that those spreading propaganda that some sort of a deal had been struck were wrong, and wanted to demoralize people and divert attention from the injustices done to Asif. "He has been freed honourably and unconditionally," she declared.

She said that the laws of nature and truth always triumph in the end. "When the lights on the stage of life go out, those names will shine which were dedicated to the cause and to the people."