NRO implementation case: SC to resume hearing today

Pakistan

NRO implementation case: SC to resume hearing today

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A five-member bench of the Supreme Court will resume hearing of the NRO case today.

12 July,2012 06:46 am

Five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, will resume hearing of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case today.The government may request for more time citing the reason that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has sought legal opinion from the Law Ministry in this matter.The top law officers of the government had held several meetings in the last three days for preparation of the PM’s reply about the implementation of the Supreme Court’s December 16, 2009 judgement in the NRO case.The Attorney General may inform the court that the prime minister has sought legal opinion from the Law Ministry regarding the matter, and therefore the court should grant further time in this regard.The law minister said that he and the law secretary had taken the charge recently and needed some time for thorough study of the case to brief the cabinet and present their view in the court.The cabinet allowed the Law Ministry to work on the case. However, the prime minister directed the law minister to respond on urgent basis. The Attorney General of Pakistan, Irfan Qadir, was busy at the Prime Minister’s House evolving the final strategy about the case.During the last hearing, the court had expressed hope that the newly-elected prime minister would comply with the apex court’s order and write letter to Swiss authorities for reopening of cases against NRO beneficiaries, including President Asif Ali Zardari.The court had directed the attorney general to obtain instructions from the prime minister regarding the implementation of Para 178 of the NRO judgement and inform the court on July 12.