A Pakistani anti-corruption court on Tuesday dismissed a case against slain former premier Benazir Bhutto in connection with her alleged possession of illegal wealth. The accountability court in nearby Rawalpindi had been hearing the case brought against Bhutto by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The case was set aside after Bhutto's counsel pleaded that the charges of possessing assets beyond her known sources of income be quashed for good following her assassination on December 27.

Another accountability court, meanwhile, directed NAB to furnish a reply in similar charges against Zardari and Bhutto's security advisor Rehman Malik and adjourned the matter till January 30.

The cases against the trio were to have been dropped under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) issued by President Pervez Musharraf last year. However, the accountability courts continued hearing the cases after the NRO was challenged in the Supreme Court.