Karachi, Sept 17: Lawyers for former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto told a court today that a law which bars her from next month's federal election is biased and politically motivated.
Lawyers Kamal Azfar and Farooq Naik told a five-judge court that military ruler President Pervez Musharraf acted "beyond the scope of his authority" when he enacted a law which bars "absconders" from contesting elections.
Bhutto, who has been living in self-exile in London and Dubai since 1998, was disqualified from contesting the October 10 elections under the law which Musharraf introduced last month under his controversial constitutional amendments.
"This is biased legislation to keep the petitioner out of the electoral process and deny the right of representation in the Parliament," Azfar told the judges.

He said the amendments were "beyond the scope of power" conferred by the Supreme Court on Musharraf when it validated his October 1999 military coup.
The court will continue hearing the case tomorrow.
Election authorities last week rejected Bhutto's application to contest two seats -- in her home region in the southern Larkana district and a seat reserved for women in Parliament.
They said she had been convicted of absconding from court twice this year. The two-times former premier, who is facing several corruption charges, left the country shortly before her conviction in a graft case in 1998.
Bhutto heads the Pakistan People's Party. Leaders of the the main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, have also been barred from standing in the polls. Bureau Report