Former Pakistan president exempted in assets reference case

Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday was granted permanent exemption from appearing before the court in an illegal assets reference case.

Zardari, also Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman, had earlier failed to appear for the hearing twice, citing reasons of poor health and lack of security, Dawn online reported.

Zardari and former assassinated prime minister and his wife Benazir Bhutto are accused of illegally acquiring their assets. The case was also tried in a Swiss court.

On his plea, Rawalpindi Accountability Court Judge Khalid Ranjha granted Zardari exemption from appearing before it, permitting him to be represented by his lawyer Farooq H. Naek in upcoming hearings of the case.

The next hearing of the case is scheduled for June 2.

According to Zardari's counsel, the court premises are highly unsafe for the former president as well as for his lawyers. He added that there were almost eight to nine gates through which one can enter the court premises.