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Pakistan’s Supreme Court threw out an amnesty Wednesday shielding senior government figures from prosecution, opening the door for corruption cases to be brought against the president’s allies.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry read out the ruling declaring the amnesty “void”.
The National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was passed in October 2007 by then-president Pervez Musharraf, under international pressure to hold democratic elections and end about eight years of military rule.
It quashed charges against a number of politicians including Zardari and his wife and ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto — who was assassinated two months later — to allow them to stand for office.
“The provisions of the NRO seem to be against national interests thus it violates the provisions of the constitution,” the ruling said.
link: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/162951/pakistan-supreme-court-throws-out-corruption-amnesty
