cj_316About the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a highly discriminatory, undemocratic and unconstitutional law, I would repeat what many people have been saying since last night when this judgment was announced. The decision to announce that the NRO stands null and void is indeed a historic decision that may very well change the future course of Pakistani politics.

It will be interesting to see how the sitting President of the country and his strongest supporters in the cabinet will deal with this blow having seen the ordinance already defeated (unofficially) in Parliament when strong PPP allies decided not to support the NRO.

Excerpt from DAWN: In a late-night short order that has no parallel in country’s judicial history, the 17-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, ordered the federal government to take immediate steps to seek revival of the original requests or claims for mutual legal assistance to pursue money laundering cases pending in foreign countries, including Switzerland.

The judgment means that cases and convictions in international courts, the Swiss courts in particular, will reopen and interestingly the two parties locking heads with each other will be the ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan‘ against the ‘President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan‘… a shameful co-incidence indeed.

Mr. Zardari has also been a ‘convict’ in one case apart from being ‘accused’ in several cases. Presidential immunity applies to all ‘criminal’ cases against the President of Pakistan while senior lawyers believe cases and court-proceedings can be initiated against the President for all ‘civil’ cases under Article 248-4 of the constitution of Pakistan.

While Asif Ali Zardari enjoys Presidential immunity, the other convicts who are art of this government have landed in serious trouble. The most prominent in this list will be Minister of Interior, Rehman Malik, who has virtually sold out the country to the US on his own. He is the very reason why Blackwater has been waging war in Pakistan.

Here is another excerpt from Dawn on Mr. Malik:

Mr Malik is one of those who had been convicted for not appearing before the court in corruption cases in 2004. Now, legal experts said the interior minister would have to get bail from a court to retain his office.

Mr Malik was facing two cases in accountability courts – illegal gratification of Rs15 million and illegal detention of a complainant. Both cases were registered in 2004.

According to the National Accountability Bureau report submitted before the apex court, the minister was sentenced under section 31-A of the National Accountability Ordinance to three years’ rigorous imprisonment.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Mr Malik vowed to resign from his office if corruption charges were proved against him. “I would prefer to be buried in Pakistan instead of escaping,” he said.

The cases will now re-open. And we all know how our judiciary functions. It seems to be very efficient at the top but it still tops the corruption charts when we move downwards towards the high courts and others. Let us just hope that these cases are wrapped up efficiently and quickly and the ‘accused’ either acquitted or charged and declared ‘convicts’.

I congratulate the nation on this historic decision.