The accountability court on Monday adjourned the hearing of National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) references against former president Asif Ali Zardari until January 9.
Accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir was hearing the case pertaining to the five references against Mr Zardari.
The court couldn’t indict the accused in polo ground reference because of his absence.
During the course of hearings, counsel for Zardari, Farooq H. Naek said his client has security issues due to which he could not appear in the court.
The court during the previous hearing had asked Farooq H. Naek to write to the government for arranging necessary security and Naek today informed the court that a formal request was made accordingly, but no response received.
The references against Zardari include polo ground, SGS, Cotecna, ARY and Ursus tractors. The court had already acquitted other accused in these references.
The accountability court took a suo motu action and reopened five references against Zardari in October 2013. Earlier, the references were deferred because he enjoyed constitutional immunity during his tenure as President of Pakistan.
Addressing the media, Farooq H Naek, said he had written a letter to IG and interior secretary for foolproof security of his client. He said Zardari was facing security threats, lamenting that the government couldn’t even provide adequate security to Benazir Bhutto. Zardari would be presented after security clearance, he added.
Naek assured that Asif Zardari would be presented in court after security clearance.
He said that cases were pending against Zardari since 1997, adding that all cases were baseless. He also said his client earlier spent more than eight years in jail. The case has been adjourned till January 09