Click to play videoNew Delhi: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a stay order on the operation of an ordinance which gives Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party, amnesty from prosecution in corruption cases.
Zardari, husband of assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto, spent 11 years in jail in connection with these cases. The court’s order is being seen as part of an understanding between President Pervez Musharraf and the PPP, which will not press for impeaching the former army chief or restoring sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikar Chaudhary.
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court dismissed petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO), which was promulgated in October 2007 and which put brakes on corruption cases against political leaders.
The NRO benefited PPP leaders but not PML (N) leader and former premier Nawaz Sharif.
The Supreme Court, which was then led by Chaudhary, had put a stay on the NRO before Musharraf imposed Emergency in the country on November 3, 2007.
Immediately after the Supreme Court’s new ruling on Wednesday, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) terminated cases against Zardari and Benazir’s security advisor Rehman Malik.
NAB's deputy prosecutor general Zulfiqar Bhutta told PTI all corruption cases against Zardari have been terminated following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Sources told CNN-IBN Nawaz Sharif is not happy wtih these developments, but is willing to cooperate with PPP in forming a government now.
Sharif will meeting Zardari and Awami National Party leader Afsandyar Wali on Wednesday to finalise their political strategy.
The PPP, the biggest party in the newly elected National Assembly, will not try to impeach Musharraf in return of being freed of corruption charges. Zardari has reportedly told Sharif that impeaching Musharraf is not practically possible.
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