Thaindian News

London, Aug 4 (ANI): Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has been accused of helping to steal paintings of an internationally acclaimed artist, Laila Shahzada.

Laila Shahzada’s daughter wants the Metropolitan Police to question Zardari during his visit to Britain for stealing 93 paintings from her flat in Karachi.

Shaheen has lodged court papers in Pakistan claiming Zardari colluded with her brother to steal these paintings, most of which were shipped to London, were the work of her mother, The Telegraph reports.

Shaheen has already asked Scotland Yard to help recover the paintings, worth up to 300,000 pounds in total, and now hopes officers will contact Zardari after he flew to London for a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.

Shaheen’s brother, however, has insisted the paintings were left to him in their mother’s will, and that they are rightfully his. Zardari has denied any wrongdoing.

“The Metropolitan Police should question Zardari about it while he is in London. My brother took the paintings from the Karachi flat with the help of Zardari in 1994. No one could have touched him at the time because they were in power,” Shaheen said.

According to a petition lodged by Shaheen at Pakistan’s Supreme Court, Zardari and her brother Sohail, took the paintings to London and Florida, where the president has a home.

Zardari has claimed in the past that he was simply looking after the paintings for Sohail Shahzada, but Shaheen is adamant that they should have been shared equally between the artist’s three children, the paper reports.

She claimed 53 of the paintings were destined for Rockwood House in Surrey, a five million pound mansion owned by Zardari, which was later, sold amid allegations it had been bought with the proceeds of corruption. (ANI)