Thaindian News

Islamabad, March 10 (IANS) Pakistan’s Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq has received the Supreme Court’s order in the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case, Geo News reported Saturday.

The order carries the court’s direction to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

A seven-member bench, after hearing the NRO case March 8, had ordered Gilani to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Zardari.

The court directed Gilani to write the letter without taking any advice.

The Supreme Court had ordered that the court order be delivered to the prime minister through the attorney general.

The apex court had warned the government of action if its ruling on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), which granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases, was not implemented by Jan 10, 2012.

On Jan 19, Gilani had appeared before the apex court in the contempt case for not acting against Zardari for corruption and defended his move, saying that the constitution provided immunity to the president.

The court had also sought reopening of cases closed under the NRO, struck down as void in 2009. It had ordered the government to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against the president.

Zardari, accused of graft, had been granted amnesty under the NRO which was issued in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate the return of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband Zardari.