Thousands rally against Bhutto conviction

The party has held a string of demonstrations across the country in the past week.

Reports said Bhutto8217;s lawyers have gone to Dubai to consult her prior to filing an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Bhutto and her jailed husband Asif Ali Zardari were each sentenced to five years imprisonment and barred from holding public office by an anti-corruption high court on April 15.

The court found them guilty of receiving millions of dollars in kickbacks from a Swiss firm in return for a pre-shipment trade cargo inspection contract in 1994.

Bhutto has said the case was quot;politically motivatedquot; and part of a campaign by the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to end her political career. The government has denied the allegations.

A former Pakistani Chief Justice, Sajjad Ali Shah, has said Bhutto8217;s personal presence would be necessary at the Supreme Court when a bail application is moved.