Malik passes NRO accountability buck to Musharraf

KARACHI - Pakistan Interior Minister Abdul Rehman Malik has stated that former president Pervez Musharraf will not only have to face a number of criminal and civil cases registered against him, but also answer on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case, if he decides to return to the country.

According to a news channel, Malik made these comments while addressing a press conference in the office of National Crisis Management Cell, The News reported.

Musharraf should clarify in the court why he promulgated the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) at the advise of his friends, said Malik, adding that the questions arising on the NRO case should be asked from the former dictator.

Responding to a query, the Interior Minister said that a number of cases were filed against Musharraf and despite that if he wanted to return to Pakistan he would have to face the cases. “When Musharraf comes to Pakistan then we will think about his arrest”, he told.

Claiming that no deal had been struck between former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Musharraf, Malik pointed out that had there been any sort of deal between the two, the former prime minister would not have faced cases on her return to the country.

Last week, Malik had refused to resign from office, saying he cannot be tagged as a beneficiary of the NRO.

“I was a beneficiary after the National Accountability Bureau cases against me were closed. As soon as my cases re-opened in the courts after the Supreme Court declared the NRO void ab initio, the beneficiary factor also vanished,” he had said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has accepted the Pakistan Government’s plea to decide the NRO review petition before hearing the NRO implementation case.(ANI)