Pak PM agrees to reopen graft cases against Zardari

indiatimes.com

In a setback to President Zardari, Pakistan Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf has told the Supreme Court that the govt will open the graft cases against President Zadari. The Pak PM told SC that he has instructed authorities to revoke former AG's letter asking for closure of graft cases against the President in Switzerland. The Supreme Court has asked the govt to revoke the letter in two to three days. The Pakistan apex court has adjourned the case till September 25 and exempted the Prime Minister from personal appearance. At the last hearing on August 27, a five-judge bench accepted Ashraf's plea for more time to address the issue of reopening the cases against Zardari and gave him three weeks. Ashraf is the second premier to appear in the apex court to face a contempt charge for refusing to revive the cases against Zardari in Switzerland. His predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was convicted of contempt and disqualified in June. The Supreme Court has been pressuring the government to revive the cases against the president since December 2009, when it struck down a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that benefited Zardari and over 8,000 others. The government has refused to act, saying the president enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad.