Zardari acquitted in smuggling case

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Tuesday acquitted PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain premier Benazir Bhutto, of smuggling artefacts, antiques and other contraband items to Britain.

Zardari, who now leads Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), was accused in 1997 of airlifting eight crates carrying artefacts to London through the national carrier without paying customs duty and freight charges.

A single-judge bench of the Sindh High Court gave the verdict in response to a review petition filed by the Pakistan People's Party leader's lawyer.

The court also acquitted Pakistan's former high commissioner to Britain Wajid Shasmul Hassan who was an accused in the case.

Zardari and Hassan were charged with smuggling the items to London. Two others accused in the case, a former deputy collector of customs and a former managing director of Pakistan International Airlines, were earlier acquitted by a trial court.

Several corruption cases charged against Zardari, which date back to his slain wife Benazir Bhutto's two terms as prime minister, have been scrapped by Pakistani authorities in the wake of a controversial order issued by President Pervez Musharraf last year to drop all graft charges against the couple.

However, the amnesty order was challenged in Pakistan's Supreme Court that used to be headed by independent-minded top judge Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was sacked by Musharraf on November 3 after declaring emergency rule.

The new court comprising judges hand-picked by Musharraf allowed selected politicians to benefit from the controversial ordinance, which could still be revoked if the challenges were again taken up.