ISLAMABAD: Total defiance of the government to comply with Supreme Court’s last warning for writing letter to Swiss authorities in National Reconciliation Ordinance case expires today (Tuesday) leaving the apex court with no option but to proceed with contempt of court.
Institutional tension has heightened after the Executive has shown total disregard to the directives of the judiciary in the NRO case, which many believed could cost the prime minister his job in case the controversy drags on.
President Asif Ali Zradri, who is also PPP Co-Chairperson, added to the heightened tension between the Executive and Judiciary by leaving the matter for the next government to write to Swiss authorities.
“I would only remain president for the next 12-15 months after which the next government may write to Swiss courts”, President Zardari told a private TV channel on January7, adding ‘why would his government do so?’
Zardari said NRO case and Swiss courts would have a significance in history, thus, ‘neither he nor the Prime Minister would want such a thing to be part of the history’.
President said he was not afraid of Article-248 and that he considered Swiss case as a trial of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed’s grave, adding that it was the decision of party not to write to Swiss courts.
According to the constitutional experts, the Supreme Court could punish Prime Minister Gilani in contempt of court for minimum of six months and up to two years in line with the 18th constitutional Amendment.
The Supreme Court on its last hearing on implementation of the NRO case had issued last warning to the government to write letter to Swiss Court about the ill-gotten $60 million belonging to President Zardari and his late spouse Shaheed Benazir Bhutto stashed in the Swiss banks.
On other hand, some people believed that there were $97 billion dollars stashed in Swiss banks belonging largely to Pakistani politicians, and feared that if government did not implement the apex court directives in NRO case, the entire efforts to bring back the ill-gotten wealth stashed in the Swiss banks would go never bear fruits.
Meanwhile, quoting sources private TV channels claimed that President Asif Ali Zardari may leave for Dubai today. “All arrangements have been finalized and the President may leave for Dubai any time soon,” it said. However, no official confirmation was available till the filing of this report.
