World | Pakistan
Islamabad names beneficiaries of Musharraf-era graft amnesty
Zardari and several holding key posts in the present set-up among those on the list
- By Mohsin AliCorrespondent
- Published: 00:00 November 22, 2009
Islamabad The government yesterday released a list of politicians, bureaucrats and others absolved of corruption and criminal charges under a Musharraf-era ordinance.
President Asif Ali Zardari and several holding key posts in the present set-up were among the beneficiaries.
Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar, Interior Minister Rahman Malek and ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Secretary-General Jehangir Badar were among the 34 politicians whose names appear on the list of thousands of people.
Also on the list were Pakistani ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani and High Commissioner to the UK Wajid Shamsul Hassan.
So were a large number from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) — including MQM London-residing chief Altaf Hussain and other party leaders.
A central MQM leader, Abbas Rizvi, said none of the cases against the party people or its chief involved charges of corruption and all were based on fabricated criminal counts like murders and acts of violence.
Rizvi said MQM had openly opposed the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) bill in the parliament and it was after it refused to vote for the legislation that the government, of which it is a partner, dropped the move. "We are ready and will face courts," he said.
Releasing the record at a crowded news conference, Minister of State for Law and Justice Afzal Sindhu said a bulk of the NRO beneficiaries — politicians, bureaucrats and others — were from Sindh province.
He said the benefits given under the bill were "past and closed transactions".
But the situation, he admitted, could change if the Supreme Court declared the NRO void ab initio (from the beginning) and said all revoked cases would in that case stand revived.
Sindhu, however, stressed that the constitution of the country provides immunity to the president from any prosection. "As long as the president remains in office the cases cannot be reopened," he said.
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