Petitioner urges Supreme Court to ask Prime Minister to write letter | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Petitioner urges Supreme Court to ask Prime Minister to write letter

An application filed in Supreme Court Tuesday pleaded the court to direct newly-appointed Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The petitioner also urged the court to bar Raja Pervaiz Ashraf from discharging his official duties “unless he writes the letter to Swiss authorities.”

A three-member bench, led by Justice Nasirul Mulk, will resume the hearing of National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case today (Wednesday). During the last two hearings of the NRO case on May 3 and April 16, the bench abstained from passing any order in the case of appointment of several NRO beneficiaries to public offices.

A judicial notice is expected to be served upon the new premier on June 27 to implement the directives contained in paragraphs 177 and 178 of the NRO judgement, regarding writing a letter to Swiss authorities. Gilani was charged with contempt by the Supreme Court for not writing a letter to Swiss authorities.

A seven-judge bench of the apex court, which was also headed by Justice Mulk, awarded Gilani a symbolic punishment of ’till rising of the court’ on April 26. The court had made it clear to Gilani that the NRO verdict penned down by the full court on December 16, 2009, had given categorical directions in paragraphs 177 and 178 regarding writing a letter to Swiss authorities.

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