News
Saturday, March 01, 2008
PPP seeks withdrawal of cases against co-chairman
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s counsel on Friday submitted applications for the withdrawal of more than 12 corruption cases pending against him and Rehman Malik in three special accountability courts. The accountability courts accepted the applications and scheduled a hearing for March 5. Swiftly following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of petitions challenging the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), Advocate Farooq H Naik submitted separate applications for the withdrawal of corruption cases under the NRO. The cases include SGS and Cotcna, BMW assets, Irsis tractors and the Polo Ground reference against Asif Ali Zardari and eight cases against Rehman Malik and others. In the applications, Naik adopted the stance that since the apex court had given a decision regarding the NRO, to wait for the next hearing, slated for March 21, would unnecessarily delay the decision of cases. Since the apex court had directed subordinate courts to set aside cases under the NRO, he argued it would be appropriate to set an earlier date for the hearing. The accountability courts accepted the applications and issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), through Deputy Prosecutor General Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, scheduling a hearing for March 5. app
Courtesy Daily Times