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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistani court revokes amnesty law |
| 2009-12-17 |
| Pakistan's Supreme Court has revoked an amnesty deal which shields President Asif Ali Zardari and many other government officials from prosecution. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry read out the ruling declaring the amnesty null and void. The 2007 National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) allowed Zardari, his wife Benazir Bhutto, and a former prime minister, to return from self-exile without facing corruption charges. "The provisions of the NRO seem to be against national interests thus it violates the provisions of the constitution," the ruling said. Revoking the amnesty could challenge the legality of Zardari's presidency and raise corruption cases against some of his close associates. The amnesty announced by Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf two years ago covers some 8,000 Pakistanis facing various charges. The amnesty law was directed to the Supreme Court after failing to get the parliament's approval before it expired on November 28. |
| Posted by:Fred |