NRO beneficiaries: Opposition questions govt intent to pursue other recipients
SC decision is just about dropping contempt charges against PM, all other cases remain intact, says Mushahidullah.
ISLAMABAD:
While the Pakistan People Party (PPP)-led government termed the Supreme Court’s decision to drop contempt charges against the prime minister a “victory of justice”, the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) questioned the government’s intent to pursue the thousands of cases of other NRO beneficiaries.
“Today’s decision is just about dropping contempt charges against the prime minister after the letter was sent to Swiss authorities. All other cases remain intact and action should be taken against thousands of accused who benefitted from NRO law,” said PML-N Information Secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
He went on to add that the government had not followed up on the prosecution of thousands of other NRO beneficiaries since the controversial law was scrapped by the apex court.
Interestingly, the PML-N spokesman was reluctant to clearly state if his party would pursue these cases if it were in power. The number of beneficiaries stood around 8,000 when the ordinance was enacted in 2007.
“We will try to maintain rule of law after coming to power,” said Khan when asked if his party will pursue these cases, if it were successful in winning the next general elections.
Meanwhile, PTI Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mehmood said the cases against all those who had benefitted from NRO were reopened and they cannot be forgiven under any political deal.
“We think whoever violated the law should be punished. If anyone had committed crime these cases stood revived under the Supreme Court verdict on NRO,” he added.
Advocate Salman Aslam Raja, who was counsel for Dr Mubashar Hassan who had challenged NRO in the apex court, said most of the cases revived in 2009 after the court verdict against the defunct law were of a criminal nature, adding that the government was responsible for the trial of such cases. “Had the government pursued these cases seriously many accused could have been rounded up,” said Raja, adding that in most cases the accused were set free due to weak prosecution.
Under the 2009 verdict of the Supreme Court, which declared the NRO law null and void, thousands of cases that were shelved stood revived in courts of law. But there is hardly any case where someone was proven guilty and penalized.
Some of these cases including multiple murder charges were against prominent leaders of different political parties but no one has been given any punishment so far.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2012.
While the Pakistan People Party (PPP)-led government termed the Supreme Court’s decision to drop contempt charges against the prime minister a “victory of justice”, the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) questioned the government’s intent to pursue the thousands of cases of other NRO beneficiaries.
“Today’s decision is just about dropping contempt charges against the prime minister after the letter was sent to Swiss authorities. All other cases remain intact and action should be taken against thousands of accused who benefitted from NRO law,” said PML-N Information Secretary Senator Mushahidullah Khan.
He went on to add that the government had not followed up on the prosecution of thousands of other NRO beneficiaries since the controversial law was scrapped by the apex court.
Interestingly, the PML-N spokesman was reluctant to clearly state if his party would pursue these cases if it were in power. The number of beneficiaries stood around 8,000 when the ordinance was enacted in 2007.
“We will try to maintain rule of law after coming to power,” said Khan when asked if his party will pursue these cases, if it were successful in winning the next general elections.
Meanwhile, PTI Central Information Secretary Shafqat Mehmood said the cases against all those who had benefitted from NRO were reopened and they cannot be forgiven under any political deal.
“We think whoever violated the law should be punished. If anyone had committed crime these cases stood revived under the Supreme Court verdict on NRO,” he added.
Advocate Salman Aslam Raja, who was counsel for Dr Mubashar Hassan who had challenged NRO in the apex court, said most of the cases revived in 2009 after the court verdict against the defunct law were of a criminal nature, adding that the government was responsible for the trial of such cases. “Had the government pursued these cases seriously many accused could have been rounded up,” said Raja, adding that in most cases the accused were set free due to weak prosecution.
Under the 2009 verdict of the Supreme Court, which declared the NRO law null and void, thousands of cases that were shelved stood revived in courts of law. But there is hardly any case where someone was proven guilty and penalized.
Some of these cases including multiple murder charges were against prominent leaders of different political parties but no one has been given any punishment so far.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2012.