Thursday, January 26 2006 20:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Interpol has issued international notices following a request by Pakistan for the arrest of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband on corruption charges, officials said today (Jan 26, 2006).

The police body said 'red notices' have been sent out for Bhutto, Pakistan's first female premier, and Asif Ali Zardari, but stressed that they were not arrest warrants and that member countries decide whether to take any action.

"I can confirm that red notices have been issued for Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari," Interpol spokeswoman Rachel Billington told sources by telephone from France.

Bhutto, who served twice as premier in the 1980s and 1990s, has lived in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London for the past seven years because of the money laundering allegations against her.

Her husband was released from prison on bail in December 2004 after eight years in detention for alleged corruption. He is now with his wife and children.

"A Red Notice is notification that a bona fide arrest warrant exists for an individual suspected of committing a crime, or convicted by a court, in any of Interpols 184 member countries," Interpol added in a statement.

"A Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant."

The Pakistani anti-corruption body pursuing the case said it had requested that Interpol issue the red notices to speed up the arrest of Bhutto and her husband.