NRO challenged in Supreme Court

09 Oct, 2007

An NGO, 'Insaaf Welfare Trust', has challenged the National Reconciliation Ordinance in the Supreme Court. The petitioner has listed following grounds for declaring the ordinance 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 of Pakistan and hence void and of no legal effect.
(a) that the scenario and political environment in which this Ordinance had been promulgated clearly speak about the 'Political Deal' on Power Sharing and' not on National reconciliation.
(b) the real spirit of National reconciliation demanded that the corrupt people should deposit the money plundered/looted from the public exchequer back into the public exchequer and not amnesty at the loss and cost of public exchequer.
(c) the impugned Ordinance provides for general amnesty for the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, which is in fact a punishment to the poor nation of Pakistan.
(d) the Ordinance provides for the review board for the evaluation of victimisation. The board consists of the favourite and chosen people of government who cannot be independent to deliver the objectivity and justice.
(e) That the amnesty to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats and feudal lords who have looted the money are responsible for hyper inflation in the country in which the poor people are constrained to commit suicides due to hunger and uncured diseases.
(f) That the impugned Ordinance is against the fundamental rights of the people as envisaged in Article 2A, 4, & 25 besides Article 31 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
(g) Article 2A provides for Islamic provisions and environment. Islam does not allow such amnesty to the corrupt and the criminals.
(h) Article 4 provides for the application of law to all the citizens and not for the non-application, immunity from for specific influential people and that, too, as a political deal for personal gains.
(i) Article 25 provides for the equality before law, which demands for a general amnesty to all the criminals of all types and from all groups.
(j) Article 31 of the Constitution sets down that Islamic way of life will be adopted and enforced in Pakistan.
That the juxtaposition and upshot of the above referred articles is that no such selective amnesty can be granted for as a deal to the corrupts and the criminals.
That the general public intelligentsia, media and even the politicians have raised their voice against the said Ordinance.

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