NRO case: Zardari denies claims of any role in NRO's formulation

NRO case: Zardari denies claims of any role in NRO’s formulation

Author: Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Former President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday claimed that he had no role in formulation of National Reconciliation Order (NRO).

Zardari in his written response to the Supreme Court (SC) brought to the attention of the court that the corruption cases against him were acquitted in compliance with the NRO, which was passed by former president Pervez Musharraf in 2007.

The NRO granted amnesty to politicians and other individuals from corruption and criminal charges against them.

Zardari in his response maintained the view that cases had been reopened after the NRO was overruled, although he had been acquitted from the cases before.

In the written response, Zardari asserted that the accusations of looting or damaging the national exchequer could not be proved as they were merely false cases/allegations leveled by political rivals to defame him and his party.

Earlier on June 6, the SC had issued a notice to former president Musharraf.

Previously, petitioner Feroz Shah Gilani had filed a petition seeking recovery of exorbitant amounts of public money misappropriated and wasted by Zardari, Musharraf and former attorney general Malik Abdul Qayyum.

The petitioner had argued that Musharraf had subverted the constitution by declaring emergency followed by the promulgation of the NRO through which corruption and criminal cases against Zardari along with other politicians were ‘arbitrarily withdrawn’. The petition stated that the NRO had inflicted huge losses to the national exchequer.