A Pakistani court has issued notices to President Asif Ali Zardari’s parents in connection with a case registered by anti-corruption agency the National Accountability Bureau.
A division bench of the Lahore high court issued the notices while disposing off an application by NAB for restoring its appeal against the acquittal of Hashim Babar, former director of the Military Lands and Cantonment Board and Mr Zardari’s parents Hakim Ali Zardari and Zareen Ara Zardari.
The bench, during a hearing on Wednesday, observed there is no need to pass a formal order for the revival of the case that was earlier dismissed under the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a controversial graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Mr Musharraf. The bench said all cases scrapped under the NRO stood automatically revived after the SC of Pakistan annulled the graft amnesty in 2009.
Hashim Babar and Mr Zardari’s parents were the accused in a case filed by NAB regarding the alleged illegal allotment of a plot of land. However, an anti-corruption court had acquitted them and NAB subsequently challenged their acquittal in the Lahore high court.
Following the promulgation of NRO in late 2007, the high court dismissed NAB’s appeal in April 2008. The National Accountability Bureau recently approached the high court for the revival of its dismissed appeal.
The division bench ruled that in view of the law laid down by the Supreme Court, the appeal against the three accused stood revived to its position before April 2008.