E-Paper
Calls for Zardari to resign
Pakistan faced fresh upheaval on Thursday after the supreme court annulled an amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and ministers from corruption charges, prompting calls for his immediate resignation.
Pakistan faced fresh upheaval on Thursday after the supreme court annulled an amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and ministers from corruption charges, prompting calls for his immediate resignation.
But Zardari said that he will fight back and will defend the cases against him.
The court ruled on Wednesday that a 2007 decree passed by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf was unconstitutional and struck it down, paving the way for thousands of investigations to be revived.
On Thursday, the Lahore High Court admitted a petition challenging the eligibility of Zardari.
Zardari is immune from prosecution while in office, but his eligibility as president could be challenged soon, analysts say, as graft cases were pending against him when the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was adopted.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told the media on Thursday said that the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party is ready to face the “fake and politically-motivated cases in the court of law.”
Exit control list
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) asked the interior ministry to place the names of all beneficiaries of
NRO on the “Exit Control List” (ECL), a move that will bar them from travelling out of Pakistan.
TV news channels reported the interior ministry had included Rehman Malik, whose conviction was quashed under NRO, in the ECL. They also reported that Zardari’s name was not on the ECL.
Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday sharpened political tensions in Pakistan just as the United States and its other Western allies want it to unite and fight against Al Qaeda and Taliban militants based along the Afghan border, say analysts.
While Zardari has immunity from prosecution as president, his opponents challenged his eligibility to hold the post.
Some say that he was morally obliged to resign, at least while the court heard any challenges to his rule.
‘It will be in his own interest, it will be in the interest of his party and it will be good for the system,’ said Khawaja
Asif, a senior leader from the opposition Pakistan Muslim League —Nawaz party.
(With agencies input)
