Asif Ali Zardari hopes to be released on Wednesday

The husband of the former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto was put under house detention yesterday as a court ordered his arrest in a murder case, just a month after he had been freed on bail. Asif Ali Zardari was arrested at the airport near the capital, Islamabad, where he had been due to address an opposition rally. Mr Zardari's detention will shatter hopes of a reconciliation between Ms Bhutto's party and President &to= english.pravda.ru/war/2002/06/07/29946.html ' target=_blank>Pervez Musharraf. About 1,000 Bhutto party supporters clashed with police at the airport before Mr Zardari's arrival. Police used teargas and batons to control the crowd that had broken windows as it tried to force its way into the VIP lounge. Several people were injured, and police took away some 30 men and 15 women in trucks. Several of the women were dragged along the ground. Mr Zardari was later flown back to Karachi where he was allowed to address reporters before being confined to his bungalow, which was guarded by about two dozen armed police, reports the Guardian Unlimited. BBC News publishes, that a Pakistani court has granted bail to the husband of former Prime Minister &to= english.pravda.ru/main/2002/01/24/25983_.html ' target=_blank>Benazir Bhutto, a day after he was re-arrested in Islamabad. Asif Ali Zardari was detained on the orders of a court after he failed to attend a hearing in a murder trial in the city of Karachi. His lawyers say they hope to have him released later on Wednesday. Last month he was freed on bail after eight years in jail on charges ranging from corruption to murder. Ms Bhutto lives in a self-imposed exile, moving between Dubai and a number of homes in Western countries, as she tries to avoid arrest on the same corruption charges as her husband. Western governments have been watching for any signs that General Musharraf would distance himself from the Islamist coalition Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, whose leaders include &to= english.pravda.ru/hotspots/2001/06/26/8742.html ' target=_blank>Taliban sympathisers. The US State Department voiced no objections to General Musharraf's decision to renege on an agreement to abandon his dual role as President and army chief before the end of the year. A US official said Washington wanted democracy in Pakistan but was reluctant to do anything to destabilise General Musharraf or undermine his support for the war on terror. Analysts said Mr Zardari's release appeared a short-term ploy by General Musharraf to mute criticism of his plan to remain army chief. But Mr Zardari is likely to have angered the President by calling for a general elections 2005, tells the Independent News.

Discuss this article with others on Pravda.ru forum