Central Co-ordinator Human Rights Cell, Pakistan Peoples Party, Fauzia Wahab, MNA has appealed to the United Nations Special Reporter on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Leandro Despouy to take up the matter of continued incarceration of Asif Ali Zardari with the Pakistani government and the Chief Justice.
Fauzia Wahab in a letter addressed to Leandro Despouy wrote, "The Pakistan Peoples Party's Human Rights Cell has apprised you regarding charges against the former Senator Mr Asif Ali Zardari spouse of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. We believe the cases are baseless and meant to pressurise the party chairperson while prejudicing public opinion against him and the Peoples Party. The recent postponement of a bail hearing against Mr. Zardari by the Supreme Court of Pakistan give further credence to this view. 21 cases were filed against the former Senator since 1996. He has been given bail in all cases except what is known as the BMW case. The said case, one of disputed duty on the import of a second hand car, was instituted in December 2001 to prevent Mr. Zardari's release when the courts ordered him free".
Regarding the bail application of Asif Ali Zardari before the courts, she wrote, "For two years or more the bail application has been pending. It finally came up for hearing on Wednesday, the 27th of October. However, it was once again not heard and a date in office was given. In other words, it was postponed indefinitely".
In this regard, she further wrote, "This is in stark contrast to bail matters relating to extremists and their allies. For example, when Khalid Shaikh the CEO of Al Qaeda was arrested from a house in Rawalpindi, the inmate of the house was also arrested. His bail application was heard after one month and he was released".
Requesting to take notice and raise the issue with Pakistani government, Fauzia Wahab, wrote, "Mr. Zardari will be completing his eighth year in jail on November 4. Our Cell requests your authority to take due cognisance of the situation by raising the issue with the regime and with the Chief Justice so that justice is no longer sacrificed for political purposes.
It is a well-known maxim that justice delayed is justice denied. There can be no greater symbol of this than Mr. Zardari who remains behind bars completing eight years even though not a single conviction is in the field against him despite the best efforts of political opponents".
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