Bhutto, Zardari issued arrest warrants

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Islamabad: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband, Asif Zardari were issued arrest warrants on Saturday for not responding to its summons in connection with submitting a false statement of assets.

The arrest warrants were issued by Judge Rafi-uz Zaman a day after Bhutto met deposed Premier Nawaz Sharif in Dubai to firm up plans to return home to put up a joint fight against the military-backed ruling alliance in next year's elections.

The court directed the Interior Ministry to contact Interpol for the arrest of Bhutto and Zardari and that they must be produced before it on July 3.

Under the rules, all Pakistani Parliamentarians are bound to submit statements of their assets to the Election Commission.

The state-run National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a case against the couple, claiming that they had filed a false statement of assets to the Election Commission in 1996.

Ever since losing elections to Sharif's PML-N in 1996, Bhutto went to Dubai on self exile while her husband was released last year on bail after an eight-year imprisonment.

He is currently convalescing from a heart surgery in New York.

While most of the cases Bhutto and Zardari faced were instituted by Sharif's Government, the case of false declaration of assets was filed by NAB under President Pervez Musharraf's regime.

Reacting to the arrest warrants, Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) alleged that it was an attempt by the Government to step up pressure on her to break her emerging alliance with Sharif and wreck her plans to return.

"It is a misuse of the judicial process which was stepped up after Bhutto and Sharif signed the Charter of Democracy (COD) last month in London to fight against the military rule.

"The pressure tactics through warrants will not affect Bhutto's plans to return as already a number of cases have been foisted against her," PPP spokesman Faratullah Babar said.

He said the party would respond appropriately after receiving the details of the warrants.