Expats back Pakistan supreme court’s decision to annul National Reconciliation Ordinance

Pakistani expatriates in Qatar have unanimously supported their country’s Supreme Court’s decision on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), but hoped the outcome did not destabilise a government already involved in a costly border conflict.

While some believed NRO served a purpose and helped bring democracy back to Pakistan, critics said its introduction by former president Pervez Musharraf was fraught with illintention to bring corrupt politicians back.

The Supreme Court, in its latest decision, denounced the NRO that, in the name of reconciliation, waved billions of rupees for close to over 8,000 beneficiaries, including politicians and bureaucrats. Usman Khan Tarakai, a Dohabased businessman and also a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly, said: “Black as it was, the whole nation’s assessment on NRO was what the Supreme Court’s decision has been.

Now those who had their loans waved through exercising clout should turn to the courts and if they are not guilt get a verdict from them.”

“This is a result of a dictator’s short-termism who just wanted to get out. As for the president (who’s name is included in the NRO beneficiaries) for now he has constitutional indemnity, but for those who are in the government and have been listed, they should go to the courts if they are not guilty.”

“With the challenges Pakistan faces both internally and externally, politicians and the public must tread cautiously and not get carried away on the country’s newest influential stakeholder, the media,” Tarakai, who is an independent member of the National Assembly, said.

Idrees Anwar, managing director Al Khayarin Group, however, said at the present time beneficiaries of the NRO should not have any fear of political victimisation resulting from a relapse of the ordinance.

“They should welcome the hearing of their cases by a strong and independent judiciary, bringing to a close the hideous 60-year-long chapter of judicial collusion in the destruction of democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan’s history.”

“During the hearing proceedings Chief Justice Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry was prompted to say that we don’t even know who is sitting in the President House.

We are simply hearing the NRO case as filed by a Pakistani citizen petitioner.”

“This judicial activism is never heard of in third world countries and our nation should only Usman Khan Tarakai Idrees Anwar Jamil Kanwar Malik Tawheed Ashraf Siddique be glad it is taking place now,” Anwar said.

Jamil Kanwar, general manager at Teyseer Building Material & Transport, said: “In the absence of a strong parliament and a solid opposition, the Supreme Court’s actions are serving as the guardians of law and constitution.” “In 2007, it (NRO) served as the jump cable for a motorcar with dead batteries.

A jump-start was achieved the cable is no longer needed. It is our utter misfortune that we refuse to acknowledge or learn from our mistakes,” he said.

Malik Tawheed, president of Pak Qatar Peoples Welfare Association, however maintained that the hype surrounding the NRO is insinuated by media.

“It’s not just the PPP that benefited from the NRO. I would like a powerful and independent judiciary, but there are hundreds of thousands of cases pending in the courts that should also be addressed on priority basis. The media in Pakistan is propagating against Asif Ali Zardari, but they should know that PPP is unified and will back him.” Ashraf Siddique, an author and columnist, said that the extent with which Pakistani politicians and bureaucracy had been playing with the country’s resources, as became evident during the NRO-case hearing, had shocked the common citizen.

“Although, the government has announced accepting the ruling of Supreme Court on NRO, its actions such as removal of Federal Interior Secretary are contradictory. We demand that all those who have taken any benefit from NRO, each and every penny of the nation must be recovered by selling their assets.”