Pakistan President confident he cannot be challenged

Islamabad : President Asif Ali Zardari has ruled out any negative fallout for him after the lapse of a Musharraf era decree that provided an amnesty to public office holders charged in corruption cases between 1986 and 1999.

In an interview with a private channel aired Friday night, President Zardari said his legal team was of the opinion that the head of state enjoyed constitutional immunity and his eligibility could not be challenged in any court.

He said his eligibility as a candidate for the office of president was not challenged even by other candidates at the time of the presidential election held last year.

Zardari was among the numerous beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). The ordinance was promulgated by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in October 2007 under a political deal with Zardari's spouse and former premier Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in December the same year.

The government earlier this month abandoned, under political pressure, its move to convert the NRO into an act of parliament, which was the only way to protect the law from expiring on November 28 in accordance with a Supreme Court decision.

The top court is expected to start hearing early next month two pending petitions about the NRO and its verdict will conclusively determine whether or not the cases revoked under the amnesty will reopen as a result of the demise of the ordinance.

In the interview Zardari reiterated his pledge to repeal the 17th Amendment to the 1973 constitution enacted by Musharraf through a rubber stamp parliament to validate all his actions after the 1999 coup and concentrate key powers in the office of president.

He has done so several times after he first made the promise when he took over as president in September last year. But this time he gave a specific time, saying the amendment would be repealed during the next month.

A constitutional reforms committee of the parliament headed by a senior ruling Pakistan People's Party leader, Senator Raza Rabbani, has been working to formulate consensus amendments to be passed by the parliament with required a two-thirds majority.

"We always wanted to do away with the 17th Amendment, but we wanted to do it through a unanimous decision because the 1973 constitution was also approved unanimously," President Zardari said.

The main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has frequently voiced the party's concern over perceived procrastination by Zardari.