Zardari hits jackpot after being handed back Bhutto trusts by Pak Shariat Court

Islamabad, May 14 (ANI): Pakistan's Federal Shariat Court has ordered the concerned agencies to give back the authority of two trusts, which were founded by late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and have properties worth billions, to President Asif Ali Zardari and his family members.

Reversing a 1977 order, which gave the control of the two trusts to the then military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq, the Federal Shariat Court declared the previous orders as repugnant to Islam, and directed the Pakistan government and its ministries and divisions to return the ownership, properties and assets of these two government-controlled trusts to the heirs of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto, the widow of Zulfikar.

The 75-page judgment said that the orders under Martial Law had never existed and had no legal effect under the 'Injunctions of Islam.'

"As a consequence thereof, all the steps taken, actions suffered, and all orders passed by any court, tribunal or any authority, including the Martial Law Establishment, under any of the impugned orders, are also declared repugnant to the aforementioned Injunctions of Islam, and thus never to have existed in the eyes of law and resultantly of no legal effect..." The News quoted a part of the verdict, as saying.

The court also asked various ministries and division, including the Finance Division, Auditor General of Pakistan, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and others to submit a detailed esponse to notices issued by it to them. (ANI)