NAUSHAHRO FEROZE, Sept 7: Usman Almani and Luqman Almani who had accused President Asif Ali Zardari and his father Hakim Ali Zardari of being involved in the murder of their father Alam Khan Almani, former federal secretary, on Sept 18, 1997 in Hyderabad, have pardoned the Zardari family.

The aggrieved sons decided to forget the past after a visit by PPP MNA and sister of President Zardari Faryal Talpur and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah to Alam Khan Almani village on Thursday evening to offer their condolences.

Speaking to Dawn on Friday, Usman Almani said that under Sindh’s traditions even sworn enemies pardoned murders if a woman crossed the threshold of their house and sought forgiveness.

He said that he and his family had forgiven the murder of their father after Ms Talpur, daughter of Hakim Ali Zardari and sister of Asif Ali Zardari, came to them to condole their father’s death.

“Now the Almanis and the Zardaris are one family,” he said.

He said that Ms Faryal and President Zardari had invited him to a meeting next week after which he would formally announce joining the party.

Mr Almani said that he had been assigned an important task to negotiate with Ghulam Murtaza Jatoi and other leaders of the National People’s Party on behalf of the president and persuade them to merge the NPP with the Pakistan People’s Party or at least agree to an electoral alliance with the ruling party.

He said that he had issued instructions to his lawyer to withdraw the murder case and the civil suit about occupation of 501-acre mango orchard lodged against President Zardari.

Answering a question, he said the mango orchard in Deh Kandiari, Tando Allahyar, now belonged to Mr Zardari.

Alam Almani Baloch was gunned down along with his bodyguard on Sept 18, 1997 on the Wadhu Wah road when he was returning home after attending the hearing of the case at the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court about the occupation of the orchard.

The case was lodged with the Qasimabad police station against Asif Ali Zardari, his father Hakim Ali Zardari, Abdul Shakoor Ansari, Abdul Hafeez Ansari, Abdul Lateef Ansari, Allah Dad aka Porho Khan Zardari, Ghulam Nabi Zardari, Allah Wasayo Zardari and Zawar Ghulam Hyder.