Govt disowns hostile NAB missive

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday disowned a ‘hostile’ letter to the Supreme Court by an official of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), dubbing it the opinion of an individual and not the government.

Earlier this week, National Accountability Bureau’s prosecutor-general Irfan Qadir challenged the legality of an executive order, leading to the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his fellow judges last year. The challenge was issued in a written rejoinder in a case regarding the Bank of Punjab scam currently being heard by the Supreme Court. But the advocate-on-record refused to file the same.

Political and legal experts saw the rejoinder as a veiled threat to an increasingly independent judiciary, which is currently hearing a multitude of cases against the government, its policies and the jewel in its crown, the 18th amendment. The apex court has also been insisting that the government implement its December 2009 verdict on the National Reconciliation Ordinance by reopening all cases of corruption closed by NAB, including  those against President Asif Ali Zardari. But on Friday, the premier shot down such speculation and insisted that the government doesn’t have any plans to go against the judiciary.