Expressing concern over non-implementation of its decisions on NRO, the Supreme Court has fixed the implementation case in the first week of January 2012 and issued notices to the authorities concerned. The apex court had declared the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) null and void in its December 16, 2009 judgment and maintained this decision in its verdict on the NRO review petition, ordering reopening of NRO cases and cancelling all the benefits accrued under the ‘black law’.
The court on Wednesday issued notices to the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor general; and called explanation from the president and the prime minister, through their principal secretaries, federal secretaries of interior, law, and cabinet, the establishment division, NAB chairman, and all the provincial governors, chief secretaries, home secretaries, advocate generals and registrars of the high courts, as to why the verdict was not fully implemented.The 17-member larger bench of the SC in its Dec 16, 2009 decision had directed to implement the court judgment forthwith, while the court dismissed the review petition as the federal counsel failed to make out a case and directed the relevant authorities to comply with the judgment in letter and spirit without any delay.
Federal government has been reluctant in implementing all the NRO related cases, including the case related to President Zardari as it dithered on writing to the Swiss authorities for reopening his case because the Federal Government is very well foreseeing it as a last nail in their coffins.
The main resistance from the Federal Government in implementing the court's decision is shown by Babar Awan, the Federal Law Minister.
The court in its Dec 2009 verdict had said that all the cases that were closed under NRO, issued in the Busharraf regime, should be restored; all steps taken, actions suffered, and all orders passed by whatever authority, any orders passed by the courts of law including the orders of discharge and acquittals recorded in favour of the accused persons, were declared never to have existed in the eyes of law and resultantly of no legal effect.
This means that any corruption or malpractices of the people profited by NRO are now challenge-able in any regional court, High court and Supreme Court of Pakistan. The consequence of this decision is quite evident, which the the disqualification of most of the MNAs and Federal Ministers and most important of all, the President, which would leave behind this government as a house of cards.
No comments:
Post a Comment