Pak anti-corruption court extends Zardari's remand

A Pakistani anti-corruption court on Monday extended former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister's remand by 10 days in the fake accounts case, according to a media report.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented the 63-year-old Pakistan People's Party leader and his sister Faryal Talpur in the accountability court amid strict security, Geo News reported.

The Bureau pleaded to the court in Islamabad for an extension of two weeks in Zardari's remand in the case.

The court, however, extended the remand by 10 days only and ordered that the suspects should be presented before it again on August 10.

According to NAB, Zardari is being investigated for his alleged involvement in extending loans and other misappropriation by Parthenon Private Limited, Park Lane Estate Private Limited and others.

Zardari is the husband of the country's first woman prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

He was arrested by NAB officials in the Park Lane case on July 1. He was already in NAB custody since June 10 after the Islamabad High Court dismissed his pre-arrest bail petition in the fake accounts case.

Zardari, the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, has denied any link with the fake accounts. He has said the allegation was part of a vilification campaign by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to malign opposition leaders.

His political career has been overshadowed by the allegations of corruption due to which he has spent several years in custody although he was never convicted.

Meanwhile, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Monday that his father was not using an air conditioner (AC) facility in prison.

Bilawal said the former president was not using the AC facility after Prime Minister Imran Khan during his recent visit to the US announced that A-class jail facilities for jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Zardari would be withdrawn.