• President faces legal battle over long-running allegations
*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - December 17, 2009: President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan suffered a fresh blow to his precarious position today when the supreme court ruled that an amnesty protecting him from corruption charges was null and void. 
Mubashar Hasan, petitioner against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), speaks to the media along with his lawyers Abdul Hafiz Pirzada (L) and Salman Akram Raja (R) after the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced its decision outside the court building in Islamabad December 16, 2009. Pakistan's highest court on Wednesday struck down an amnesty that has protected President Asif Ali Zardari and some aides from corruption charges, raising the prospect of political turmoil.
The main opposition party called for his resignation on moral grounds only hours after the ruling, but Zardari's office said he had no intention of stepping down.
The ruling paves the way for legal challenges against Zardari at a time when he is deeply unpopular because of public perceptions that he is being too compliant with the US. The Obama administration has been pressing Islamabad to crack down on al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents using sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch operations against Nato forces in Afghanistan.
The court's ruling also leaves thousands of officials, including ministers loyal to Zardari, vulnerable to renewed corruption cases.
"All the benefits given under the [amnesty] cases withdrawn, acquittals made are declared void," the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, said in announcing the decision of the 17-member bench.
Chaudhry, long a thorn in the side of the former president General Pervez Musharraf, has turned out to be just as independent-minded in his dealings with Zardari.
A presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told reporters that the government respected the court ruling but would issue a formal response after reviewing the judgment. He noted that, as president, Zardari had immunity from prosecution.
The amnesty was part of a US-brokered deal with Musharraf that allowed the return from exile of Benazir Bhutto to take part in politics. Zardari, Bhutto's husband, took control of the party after Bhutto was assassinated in 2007.
But the National Reconciliation Ordinance, as the amnesty is known, is highly contentious as many civil rights groups see it as a way for those accused of corruption to avoid scrutiny. Allegations of corruption have swirled round Zardari, 54, for years, dating back to governments led by his late wife. Nicknamed Mr 10 Percent, Zardari spent several years in prison under previous administrations. He denies any wrongdoing.
The amnesty had protected Zardari from cases dating back to the late 1990s. One case alleges he misappropriated $1.5bn. The president's office has declared the cases "unproven, politically motivated allegations".
Zardari was democratically elected and heads the largest party in parliament, and even some of his critics acknowledge that his political demise at midterm would be a heavy blow to the country as it seeks to consolidate its return to democratic rule after years of military government.
Despite his immunity from prosecution, Zardari's opponents are now expected to challenge his eligibility to remain as president on the grounds that if it were not for the amnesty he would not have been able to run for the post. Analysts and legal experts are divided over whether this push will succeed and the process is likely to take months.
Zardari is already a weakened figure. Earlier this year, he caved in to street protests and reinstated Chaudhry as chief justice after he was fired by Musharraf. A few weeks ago Zardari relinquished command of the country's nuclear arsenal and said he would give up more powers soon.
Zardari's domestic troubles can only complicate matters for the US as it seeks a stable partner at a time when the Obama administration is escalating its military effort in Afghanistan by sending an extra 30,000 troops to fight the Taliban.
Mubashar Hasan, petitioner against the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), speaks to the media along with his lawyers Abdul Hafiz Pirzada (L) and Salman Akram Raja (R) after the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced its decision outside the court building in Islamabad December 16, 2009. Pakistan's highest court on Wednesday struck down an amnesty that has protected President Asif Ali Zardari and some aides from corruption charges, raising the prospect of political turmoil.
The main opposition party called for his resignation on moral grounds only hours after the ruling, but Zardari's office said he had no intention of stepping down.
The ruling paves the way for legal challenges against Zardari at a time when he is deeply unpopular because of public perceptions that he is being too compliant with the US. The Obama administration has been pressing Islamabad to crack down on al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents using sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch operations against Nato forces in Afghanistan.
The court's ruling also leaves thousands of officials, including ministers loyal to Zardari, vulnerable to renewed corruption cases.
"All the benefits given under the [amnesty] cases withdrawn, acquittals made are declared void," the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, said in announcing the decision of the 17-member bench.
Chaudhry, long a thorn in the side of the former president General Pervez Musharraf, has turned out to be just as independent-minded in his dealings with Zardari.
A presidential spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, told reporters that the government respected the court ruling but would issue a formal response after reviewing the judgment. He noted that, as president, Zardari had immunity from prosecution.
The amnesty was part of a US-brokered deal with Musharraf that allowed the return from exile of Benazir Bhutto to take part in politics. Zardari, Bhutto's husband, took control of the party after Bhutto was assassinated in 2007.
But the National Reconciliation Ordinance, as the amnesty is known, is highly contentious as many civil rights groups see it as a way for those accused of corruption to avoid scrutiny. Allegations of corruption have swirled round Zardari, 54, for years, dating back to governments led by his late wife. Nicknamed Mr 10 Percent, Zardari spent several years in prison under previous administrations. He denies any wrongdoing.
The amnesty had protected Zardari from cases dating back to the late 1990s. One case alleges he misappropriated $1.5bn. The president's office has declared the cases "unproven, politically motivated allegations".
Zardari was democratically elected and heads the largest party in parliament, and even some of his critics acknowledge that his political demise at midterm would be a heavy blow to the country as it seeks to consolidate its return to democratic rule after years of military government.
Despite his immunity from prosecution, Zardari's opponents are now expected to challenge his eligibility to remain as president on the grounds that if it were not for the amnesty he would not have been able to run for the post. Analysts and legal experts are divided over whether this push will succeed and the process is likely to take months.
Zardari is already a weakened figure. Earlier this year, he caved in to street protests and reinstated Chaudhry as chief justice after he was fired by Musharraf. A few weeks ago Zardari relinquished command of the country's nuclear arsenal and said he would give up more powers soon.
Zardari's domestic troubles can only complicate matters for the US as it seeks a stable partner at a time when the Obama administration is escalating its military effort in Afghanistan by sending an extra 30,000 troops to fight the Taliban. 
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