Pakistan in Media

The apex court did not agree with the perception that the benefits drawn from the NRO are past and closed transactions.It instead judged: “Under Article 89 of the Constitution, an ordinance issued by the president if not so laid before the National Assembly, or both Houses of Parliament, stands repealed on expiration of four months from its promulgation.”

Under this judgment, the NRO stands invalid since February 5, 2008, when it completed its 120-day constitutional life. The NRO was enforced on Oct 6, 2007, and within 120 days had to be passed by parliament as a bill or re-issued as an ordinance, which it was not.

Daily Times, Pakistan, Tuesday, August 04, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf can be tried on charges of high treason if parliament passes a resolution by simple majority, said Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa on Monday.

The attorney general made the comments while addressing journalists after the oath-taking ceremony of Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali at the Supreme Court (SC). Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry swore in Justice Jamali as an SC judge.
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The News International, Pakistan, Friday, July 31, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Parliament will have to pass a crucial test of credibility in the coming days as the Supreme Court judges have observed more than once while hearing the high-profile November 3 case that it was the duty of the legislature to examine the validity of ordinances issued by Pervez Musharraf. “More than one and a half years have passed and parliament hasn’t examined a single ordinance,” Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday remarked at one stage.

On the other hand, according to authoritative sources, Attorney General Latif Khosa is poised to argue before the 14-member bench that Article 270-AAA that gives “constitutional cover” to the November 3 action and the NRO is part of the Constitution.
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The News International, Pakistan, Thursday, July 16, 2009
LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League has demanded resignation from its MPA Shumaila Rana due to her involvement in a theft case. An investigation team of the PML-N has urged Shumaila Rana to tender her resignation, as her scam has raised questions regarding the party’s credibility before the general public.

Meanwhile, Shumaila, after refusing to resign from the Punjab Assembly, has asked for a two-day time by stating that a conspiracy had been hatched against her to malign the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz as well as her character.

The PML-N investigation team has affirmed that if she was innocent, then she has to face the media to prove her innocence. The party’s central leader Zulfiqar Khosa has stated that the decision to seek resignation from Shumaila Rana was taken because of her failure to prove her innocence before the committee.
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Dawn, Pakistan, Saturday, 04 Jul, 2009
PRIME Minister Gilani has announced the doubling of development funds allocated to members of parliament for projects identified by them in their constituencies.

This hefty addition to development allocations made after the approval of the budget by parliament leaves no doubt where the control of the budget lies.

Interestingly, a day later, the prime minister told ministries to hold monthly review meetings to avoid supplementary demands for grants.
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