Islamabad, Nov. 23 (ANI): The undeclared cold war between the Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani came out in the open, when top presidential aides expressed their strong opposition to the PM-signed law ministry order, which named them as beneficiaries.

The News quoted President’s secretary general Salman Faruqui, as saying: “The innocent continued to be maligned with the guilty ones even after 12 years of media trial and no effort was being made to separate the two.”

“It is a matter of deep concern and regret that the Sindhu did not find time to go through the record of the case and released to the media an unsubstantiated list containing false allegations that were not levelled even at the time,” he added.

Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, who has also been named in the NRO list, said he was not even aware of any case and would contest it in any court if he were summoned.

Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that he has nothing to do with “Yellow Cab Scheme” adding that he was the worst political victim.

Sindh Governor Ishartul Ebad issued his explanation saying the only case mentioned against him in the list was a 1992 case, which had been quashed soon afterwards.

The spate of denials and explanations have exposed the differences between Gilani and Zardari, with many political observers questioning whether any consultations had been held between the Presidency and the PM House before the names were released. (ANI)