Surrey Palace Country retreat of Zardari hits the market for £10m

London: The former home of assassinated Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto is expected to fetch up to £10million (Dh62.5 million) when it goes up for auction next month.

Bhutto bought The Rockwood Estate in Surrey with her husband Asif Zardari in 1995 and carried out a series of upgrades.

The couple had a master bedroom with a reinforced concrete domed ceiling installed along with a replica of the local pub built in the basement, according to Daily Mail.

The Rockwood Estate, set in around 350 acres of Surrey countryside near Godalming, is dominated by the main home which has more than 30 rooms.

There are 11 bedrooms, five bathrooms, a great hall, massive drawing room and a 115-foot terrace which overlooks a pond in the grounds.

It retains some original features including a wood-panelled study.

A domed master bedroom, which is the size of a small home, was apparently made bombproof with steel and reinforced concrete.

The politicians had always denied buying the mansion in 1995, which Pakistan authorities believed was paid for with ill-gotten gains.

Bhutto, who was assassinated in a 2007 bombing, claimed to have never even visited the property.

But Zardari eventually admitted being behind the purchase in 2004, before it was sold for more than £4 million the following year.

The couple are believed to have spent incredible figures on furnishings, including £120,000 on a dining table

The property is now a shadow of its former glory and, while liveable, it is likely anyone buying it would have it fully restored or knocked down and replaced with a new mansion.

It also has separate farm, a pool house, two cottages and an airfield complete with hanger and windsock.

The current owners have never lived in the property, which is better known in Karachi as The Surrey Mansion.

Instead, it has been rented out with one tenant using it for a number of raves and other events.

The mansion, available in whole or as 12 lots, will be auctioned off on July 4 by Clarke Gammon Wellers at the Radisson Blu in Guildford.

It is expected to sell for around £10 million — with the buyer getting planning permission to replace the main home with a new mansion.

Nick Freeth, from Clarke Gammon Wellers, said: “Local people know about the estate and so do people in Pakistan, it made headline news over there.

“The whole estate would suit someone looking for privacy but also be within 40 minutes of London.

“There is also a working airstrip, although I’m not sure I would like to land on it.

“So far we’ve had individuals and businesses looking at it. The estate would make a great home but also something like a school.

“They must have spent a lot of money on it but it wasn’t until 2004 that Zardari admitted they owned it. And Bhutto denied ever even visiting it.

“There is a highly sophisticated air-conditioning system which was installed by them and it is thought to have cost £750,000 to install.

“Heating the place will cost around £13,000 a year so it’s not a home for the faint-hearted.

“But at £10 million it offers good value. This would only get you a four-bedroom home in Mayfair,” he said.