By Sohail Khan

ISLAMABAD: A constitutional petition was filed on Monday in the Supreme Court, challenging the impugned National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007, praying to stay it and suspend it till the disposal of the petition. Ina addition to it, in Lahore, veteran politician and founding member of the Pakistan People’s Party Dr Mubashar Hassan on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution challenging the National Reconciliation Ordinance, 2007.

Dr M Aslam Khaki, advocate of the Supreme Court and chairman of Insaaf Welfare Trust, has filed the petition under Article 184 (3) of the Constitution praying that the case being of great public importance, the apex court may take suo moto notice of the Ordinance.

The petitioner prayed that the National Reconciliation Ordinance 2007 be declared unjust, abuse of authority and a corrupt deal being against the fundamental rights of the public vis-à-vis other provisions as envisaged in the Constitution and hence void of legal effect.

The petitioner has made President General Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Dr Farooq Sattar, Secretary Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Federation of Pakistan through the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs as respondents.

Her stated that as a result of the deal, the Federation of Pakistan and President Musharraf have entered into a so-called national reconciliation, which is misnomer and is, in fact, a personal reconciliation for personal gains with selective political parties, mainly the respondents including former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao and Dr Farooq Sattar, Secretary MQM, agreeing to strike a political deal with President Musharraf to share power.

The petitioner argued that the respondents Benazir Bhutto and Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao have scores of cases against them involving plunder of billions of rupees. He submitted that the cases are before the NAB Courts while respondent Dr Farooq Sattar of MQM has about 25,000 criminal cases of abduction, murder, riots etc.

Whether the amnesty through the ordinance is not a punishment to the poor nation of Pakistan, which is severely suffering from hunger and disease, he further asked. The petitioner argued that the scenario and the political environment in which the ordinance has been promulgated clearly speak about the political deal on power-sharing and not on national reconciliation.

He stated that the ordinance provides for general amnesty for the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, which is in fact a punishment to the poor people of Pakistan. He prayed to the apex court to declare the Ordinance unjust, abuse of authority and a corrupt deal being against the fundamental rights of the public and void of legal effect.

He further prayed that the ordinance be stayed and suspended till the final disposal of his petition. Our correspondent adds from Lahore: Veteran politician and founding member of the Pakistan People’s Party Dr Mubashar Hassan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution challenging the National Reconciliation Ordinance, 2007. The petition has been filed through Salman Akram Raja, advocate, wherein the Federation and all the provinces and the NAB have been arrayed as respondents.

Source :http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=10546