Pakistan court quashes final Bhutto husband case

PAKISTAN: A Pakistani court Friday quashed the last remaining graft case against the husband of slain Benazir Bhutto, his lawyer said, removing the final possible hurdle to him standing for prime minister.

Asif Ali Zardari was acquitted by the anti-corruption court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, in the last of seven cases that had been hanging over him for more than a decade, lawyer Farooq Naik said.

“By the grace of God he has been honorably acquitted. I am very happy today that after a struggle of 11 years the state has failed to prove any cases against Asif Ali Zardari,” Naik told TV channels outside the court.

“These are all politically motivated cases. After the long darkness in the tunnel the light has finally come and we hope that in future there will be no politics of revenge.”

The case related to a BMW car which Zardari had allegedly imported without paying duty.

Islamabad, Friday, AFP