Wednesday, December 22 2004 14:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Karachi: A court today (Dec 22, 2004) granted bail to the husband of former Prime Minister Benazir, a day after he was arrested for failing to appear at a murder trial, his lawyer said.

Two judges at Sindh High Court granted bail of 300,000 rupees ($ 5,000) and ordered Asif Ali Zardari to be released, his lawyer Abu Bakar Zardari said.

Zardari was arrested yesterday (Dec 21, 2004) in connection with 1996 murders of a former judge and his son, just a month after he'd been freed on bail in other pending court cases. He was put under house arrest in Karachi.

The arrest prevented him from delivering his scheduled address to a major Opposition rally near the capital that could have been politically embarrassing to President Pervez Musharraf.

The events yesterday sparked a clash between his supporters and police at an airport near Islamabad. Police said that 71 Opposition workers were detained in the unrest, and several people were injured.

Zardari's latest arrest was a setback for hopes of reconciliation between Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and President Pervez Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and is currently facing criticism for reneging on a promise to stand down as Army Chief.

"We will deposit the surety today. After that, he will be released,'' said the lawyer, who is unrelated to his client.

Zardari's lawyers also filed a petition a challenging the High Court ruling that had ordered his arrest. The arrest order cited his failure to appear in court for the murder trial. His lawyers claimed the order was made was "illegal in nature and passed in haste".

Lawyer Abu Bakar Zardari said that the bail granted today was subject to a court decision on the petition.

Zardari had been released on Nov 22 from eight years in custody after the Supreme Court granted him bail in other cases over alleged corruption that his supporters claim are politically motivated. His release was widely seen as a result of a deal with the Government.