‘House to decide on Prez immunity’

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In the face of mounting pressure from the Supreme Court for reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland, Pakistan Premier Yousaf Raza Gilani has said Parliament has the authority to determine the immunity available to the head of state.

The apex court on Friday summoned law minister Babar Awan, a close aide of Mr Zardari, to appear before it on May 25 to explain why the government had not implemented its verdict scrapping a graft amnesty that benefited the President.
The court has been pressing the government to contact Swiss authorities to reopen money laundering cases against Mr Zardari since it annulled the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), a graft amnesty promulgated by former military ruler Pervez Mr Musharraf. However, Mr Gilani said that Parliament has the “authority to determine immunity available to the head of state and others.” Protection provided in the Constitution is hindering action against Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa Governor Owais Ghani for his alleged role in the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, Mr Gilani added. The government has complied with all orders issued by the Supreme Court in connection with the scrapping of the NRO except one relating to Mr Zardari, Mr Gilani said.
Even in the case of this order, the government is not refusing to obey it and has sought the opinion of the incumbent and former attorney-generals on the issue, he said. The opinion of the serving and former law officials will be produced in the apex court if needed, Mr Gilani said. Asked about a possible clash between the executive and judiciary, Mr Gilani rejected the impression and assured that it would not occur as the role of all institutions has been determined by the Constitution. “No institution would like to violate any other’s jurisdiction and everyone would work sensibly,” he said. He recalled that on a number of occasions when there were apprehensions about a showdown, the issue was resolved by him through collective wisdom.
—PTI