The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Niazi on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court can not annul the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) 2007. Talking to reporters here in the Parliament House, Niazi was of the view that there would be no negative impact on the promulgation of the NRO even though it has been challenged in the apex court.
He said the Supreme Court has all the authority to point out legal flaws in the ordinance. The government, he assured, was ready to remove such lacunas following the apex court's directives.
Niazi dispelled the impression that it was a person-specific ordinance, saying that all the political leaders and workers would benefit from it. However, he clarified that politically motivated cases would be withdrawn and there will be no exemption for anybody who is guilty of corruption or any wrongdoing. One has to appear before the review board to prove himself innocent, he added.
On the question of the en masse resignations of All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) members in protest of President Musharraf's re-election, Sher Afgan Niazi said the parliamentary system was functioning smoothly despite the resignations tendered by the lawmakers. He reiterated that the assemblies would complete their five-year term, giving the credit to President Musharraf for the completion of parliament's term.