Source: NASDAQ

The Pakistan government has closed graft cases against Pakistan’s People Party-PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari whose party will head a new coalition government after it emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded general elections.

The termination of the corruption charges against the widow of former slain premier, Benazir Bhutto comes shortly after the Supreme Court dismissed three of the five petitions challenging a controversial presidential order granting amnesty to PPP leaders in corruption cases.

President Prevez Musharraf promulgated the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance-NRO on October 5, a day ahead of the presidential poll, which he contested while still in uniform. The law benefited leaders of Bhutto’s PPP but did not cover leaders of the PML-N, including former premier Nawaz Sharif.

The PPP decided not boycott the presidential poll in exchange for the quashing of graft cases against its leaders, giving Musharraf’s re-election credibility.

PPP leaders, late Benazir Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari, now the co-chairman of the single largest party, had got amnesty for the corruption cases dating back to the 1980s and 1990s following Musharraf’s order.

The action by the government on Wednesday quickly triggered speculation of a possible understanding between Zardari and Musharraf as the latter tries to keep his hold on power by thwarting his possible impeachment in Parliament.

The move by the Pakistan government also comes as the three coalition partners, PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-PML-N and Awami National Party-ANP on Wednesday jointly demanded that President Musharraf immediately convene the National Assembly.

The PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif said after a meeting of the coalition partners that it had two-thirds majority and the coalition would not wait “a single day more” for parliament to be convened suggesting that the President could be impeached.

“Please see the numbers Musharraf. We already have a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly and I would like to inform Musharraf we are not prepared to wait for a single more day for the assembly to be convened,” he told the new MPs to a loud applause at a Islamabad hotel.

In all 171 members, 89 from the PPP, 67 from the PML-N and 10 from the ANP attended the meeting. Some independents have also assured support to the new coalition. The strength of National Assembly is 272.

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Tags: Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman, Coalition Government, Pakistan's People Party, PPP