Pakistan SC gives government more time to amend Swiss draft letter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Supreme Court today objected to contents of a fresh draft of a letter to be sent to Swiss authorities over graft charges against President Asif Ali Zardari and gave government time till October 10 to finalise it in accordance with its order that sought revival of the cases.

Law Minister Farooq Naek presented the revised draft of the letter to a five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa when proceedings began this morning.

However, the judges expressed their reservations about some paragraphs in the letter, saying they did not conform with a 2009 judgement that called for reviving the cases against Zardari.

The judges went into their chambers for consultations twice.

Naek and a government lawyer too were called to the chambers for consultations.

When the judges returned to the courtroom, Naek sought time till October 10 to consult the Prime Minister and finalise the draft of the letter.

The bench then began writing a short order which said that the government wanted more time to make some improvements to the draft letter.

However, Naek interjected and said he had made no such commitment. He further said he had sought time to consult the Premier regarding the draft letter.

The court then adjourned the matter till October 10 and asked the Law Minister to present the draft letter at the next hearing.

The apex court and the government have sparred over several drafts of the letter, especially on the question of whether the Swiss authorities should specifically be asked to revive the cases against Zardari.