A Pakistani court today ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and others on charges of corruption.

A Pakistani court today ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, and former minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, on charges of corruption for approving subsidies to fake companies, both are senior leaders of Pakistan People's Party.The anti-corruption court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented a formal chargesheet of 12 cases registered against the two leaders and some senior officials of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan (TDAP).The FIA has charged the leaders for approving and disbursing fraudulent trade subsidies worth millions of Pakistani Rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques under a scheme of TDAP.Despite notice being served, both Mr Gilani and Mr Faheem failed to appear before the court, which led to non-bailable arrest warrants being issued.The police has been ordered to arrest and present them before the court in the next hearing on September 10.The 63-year-old was prime minister of Pakistan between 2008 and 2013. Mr Gilani was sacked after the Supreme Court held him responsible for defying an order of the court to write a letter to the Swiss government to reopen a corruption probe against then President, Asif Ali Zardari.Apart from the two leaders implicated in the corruption case, authorities yesterday also arrested a confidant of Mr Zardari, an ex-petroleum minister Asim Hussain, from Karachi for alleged involvement in corruption.