Islamabad, Mar 5: Seven graft cases against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and a close aide were on Wednesday dropped by a Pakistani anti-corruption court in line with an order issued last week by the Supreme Court.

The cases against Zardari and his close aide Rehman Malik related to a contentious deal for the import of tractors and alleged amassing of wealth beyond known sources of income.

They dated back to the time when Zardari`s late wife, slain Pakistan People`s Party chairperson Benazir Bhutto, was the Prime Minister in the 1990s.

Today`s decision by the anti-corruption court in Rawalpindi was widely expected after the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan`s anti-graft body, decided not to pursue corruption charges against Zardari last week.

This followed the Supreme Court`s decision on February 27 to vacate a stay order on the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial law passed in October last year by President Pervez Musharraf to grant amnesty in graft cases to PPP leaders, including Zardari and Bhutto.

The anti-corruption court said its decision was made under the NRO. However, Zardari`s lawyer Farooq H Naek said the cases against him were "politically motivated and baseless".

The anti-corruption court ordered the release of Zardari`s assets and properties that had been frozen or confiscated. These included bank accounts and sugar mills. The court also released Malik`s impounded cars.

Zardari spent over eight year in prison following his arrest in connection with these cases.