Had no role in enactment of NRO, Zardari tells SC

ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari submitted his response in NRO case on Tuesday and stressed before the Supreme Court that he had not played any role in the making of the National Reconciliation Order (NRO).

Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman stated in his answer that in 2007, the permission to withdraw cases against him was granted under NRO, however cases were reopened after the court overruled the law.

Zardari’s response asserted that he was acquitted in criminal cases by the court, whereas the allegations of looting or damaging the national exchequer were also not proven against him.

It was contended in the rejoinder of Zardari that political opponents had filed false cases against him in order to malign him and his party.

The Supreme Court on April 24 issued notices to former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Musharraf, former president Asif Ali Zardari and others to furnish their comments on a petition seeking action against the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

The NRO, passed by former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2007, granted amnesty to politicians and other individuals by annulling several corruption and criminal cases against them.

The case 

Petitioner Feroz Shah Gilani filed a petition in the Supreme Court nominating Pervez Musharraf, Asif Ali Zardari and former attorney general Malik Abdul Qayyum as respondents in the case.

The petitioner appealed that apex court should recover ‘huge amount of public money’ embezzled by the respondents through unlawful means ‘already on record in different judgments of the Supreme Court and high court’.

The petition held Musharraf accountable for subverting the Constitution and promulgating of the NRO through which criminal and corruption cases against politicians were ‘arbitrarily withdrawn’ causing massive financial losses to the national exchequer.