Pakistan

Govt to ask Supreme Court to explain immunity clause

Express May 22, 2010

ISLAMABAD: In a surprise move, the government has decided to ask the Supreme Court to define the parameters of presidential immunity.

The apex court is to begin hearing of the case regarding the non-implementation of its National Reconciliation Ordinance verdict next week. This was decided at a dinner meeting of federal and state ministers belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which was jointly chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at President House. The meeting was part of the consultation process the president is currently undertaking with his party officials before putting up a response to the court’s directives to the government for making arrangements for reopening graft cases against him in Swiss courts.

The Supreme Court has summoned federal law minister Dr Babar Awan to explain why the government has so far not written to Swiss authorities for reopening graft cases against President Zardari. Graft charges against Zardari and his slain wife Benazir Bhutto had been dropped after the then president Pervez Musharraf issued the NRO in 2007. But on Dec 16 last year, a Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, annulled the ordinance and ordered the government to reopen all cases dismissed under the NRO.

A participant of the meeting quoted President Zardari as telling the ministers that he did not want a “confrontation” between the executive and the judiciary and would respect the apex court’s decisions in all cases. But, President Zardari added, the court “must explain” the article of the constitution which protects the head of the state from all kinds of criminal proceedings while he’s in office. An adviser to the prime minister told The Express Tribune: “The government will ask the court to explain before issuing further orders.”

Published in the Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2010.

COMMENTS (8)

mowadat | 14 years ago | Reply Taking Oath under PCO should apply to all Juges. Why Mr.Chief Justice has Exemted himself.Rule & Justice should be for all.Where is Morality & Ethics here?

Asad | 14 years ago | Reply @Zunaib M Yousuf Swiss cases are criminal cases and not civil ones.

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muhammad nauman siddiq | 14 years ago | Reply The Govt. just wants to complete her tenure. After 3 years "toon kon te main kon"strategy will be applied.The rulers are not serious to settle the problems of the public of pakistan.They can just talk about dignity , self respect,progress and prosperity but do not know the meanings of these words and have no line of action. Everyone who rules is in the habit of making noise about the past government but is not doing any good to this country.It seems if we are living in a jungle,being governed by the jungle rule where vice is being promoted by the people in power and virtue is banned. Now it is the time for PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN to decide if they want to be a NATION or to be punjabi, sindhi, balochi,pathan and saraeki etc. Two NATION THEORY is a reality which is the very essential part of our being. It is the duty of every Pakistani to make the rulers realize that we are no more in a mood to tolerate all this non sense which is going on now a days.If we can force the government in restoring judiciary , we can also force them to accecpt the decision of the courts.we should always pray, " ALLAH hamain aisay hukmaran atta farma jo teri narazgi say dartay hon. ameen!"

cheema | 14 years ago | Reply @ALI Ahmed Khan "Prove their innocence before the courts" Courts whose heads take lifafa. hmmmmm very interesting :)

ALI Ahmed Khan | 14 years ago | Reply Why don't all the political leaders,including the President, civil and military beaurocrates come out clean.Prove their innocence before the courts or confess their wrong doings,apologise to the whole nation and retire from politics or start a new,assuring the people that the mistakes would not be repeated again.This, in my opinion is the most hounerable way out of the quagmire they find themselves in today.

PERVAIZ | 14 years ago | Reply AUR BHI gum hai pakistan mai zardari kay siva

WorriedPakistani | 14 years ago | Reply What a shame that we have all these thieves in our government. They don't even have the ethical guts to come up and prove their innocence (IF they think they're innocent). Of course they know they'll pay for all the looting they did from Pakistanis, and one day they'll be dragged in the court of law. 'Bakrey ki maa kab tak kheir manayegi'.

Zunaib M Yousuf | 14 years ago | Reply Haaan .... So they are coming up with the new strategy to buy the time... The clause simply interprets that immunity is just in criminal (faujdari) cases but in civil cases no one is beyond the justice .... I best they are trying themselves to prove innocence and present themselves obedient of law in front of public, but at the back end diplomacy the conspiracy is way understandable of our reach ... What else the advisor like Babar Awan, Latif Khosa, Fauzia Wahab, Faisal Raza Abidi, Salman Taseer could advice to president simply the confrontation with Judiciary who is backed by almost 60% - 65% of Pakistan's total population ... Why does Mr. Zardari and Mr. Sharif ask the people to bring money from abroad and invest in Pakistan when actually they both have huge assets and properties abroad ... Aik Sair tou dooja Sawa Sair !! May ALLAH help us all and give us relieve from these suckers of Pakistan's wealth, sovereignty, prosperity, success, dignity and ego !!

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