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CE urged to withdraw drug cases against Zardari

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Munir Ahmed Khan, Central Deputy Secretary Information, Pakistan Awami Ittehad in a press conference here on Monday has prayed to the Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf to withdraw or get re-investigated narcotic cases filed against former Senator Asif Ali Zardari during the previous government.

Munir pointing to false drug case instituted against Zardari said that the confessional statement of one of the accused Arif Baloch in the narcotic case filed against him was drafted and finalized in the office of Ehtesab Bureau working under the former prime minister of Pakistan in the prime minister secretariat after refusal by Anti Narcotic's Force to register a case against former Senator.

He divulged that Saif-u-Rehman on the directions of former prime minister of Pakistan, drug convicts in United States, Mushtaq Malik alias Black Prince whose unsigned statement has been circulated, who has spent his last 15 years of life in prisons ranging from Amsterdam to New York. Another drug convict Anwer Khattak who also made a similar unsigned statement from an unspecified prison in U.S had openly vowed to settle score with Benazir Bhutto, who was responsible for Khattak's arrest during her first term, for his extradition to United States, and for confiscation of Khattak's properties also in her first term. However, U.S officials have informed the Government of Pakistan that those clandestine meetings in U.S and the subsequent statement carry no legal value.

He said it was also to point out that United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA),the British Customs, the German Anti Narcotics Agency had repeatedly stressed that they have no evidence to offer for the registration of drug case against Senator Zardari or his associates in Pakistan or abroad.

He stated that Pakistan Coast Guards, which also had wide anti-narcotic operations, said that in the past two and a half year, they extensively searched for the links that could prove some clues for Zardari's connections with the drug mafia, but not an iota of evidence was available to suggest that Asif Ali Zardari had any connections with the drug mafia.

Khan also gave additional evidence proving Zardari's innocence in the drug case initiated against him on the occasion.