Swiss reply to Zardari cases will be opened today

ISLAMABAD: The Swiss government’s response to the letter written by the government of Pakistan following the apex court’s order in the NRO will be opened today.

Credible law ministry sources revealed that the law minister Zahid Hamid would open the letter on Tuesday which would make it clear whether cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and others could be re-opened or stand expired.

The source added, that recently the Pakistani mission in Switzerland was approached by the caretaker government to seek a reply from the Swiss authorities on the letter written by the PPP government.

The source confirmed, that the Swiss government's reply has arrived at the law ministry.

The PPP law minister Farooq H Naek had claimed that the Swiss authorities had dropped the cases according to their own laws, and not in accordance with immunity under the Pakistani laws.

However, the law ministry during the caretaker government did not receive any formal communication from the Swiss authorities in this respect. The law ministry could only find in its official record the letter written to the Swiss authorities following the SC’s order in the NRO implementation case. The ministry’s files do not contain any response to this letter by the Swiss authorities.

After finding no reply from the Swiss authorities, the law ministry during the caretaker regime, asked the country’s ambassador in Switzerland to contact the concerned Swiss officials for their response to Islamabad’s communication.

Recently, the ambassador informed the law ministry that he has received the latter, which was then immediately dispatched to Islamabad.

On Monday, though the ministry of law received the sealed envelope, it was not opened and has been marked to the law minister who is expected to see it on Tuesday. Farook H Naek during his tenure as law minister spoke about the cases to have been closed. On one occasion, he said ‘the cases’ have been dismissed and they (cases) could never be reopened in the future.

“Speaking to the media in connection with the letter sent to Pakistan by the Swiss authorities, Farooq H Naek said the concerned officials in Switzerland had disposed off the cases in accordance with their own law,” a media report read indicating the receipt of a letter that was never found by the law ministry after Naek’s departure.

Naek had clarified though that the letter from the Swiss authorities was not sent officially to Pakistan. On another occasion, while speaking on Capital Talk, Geo News, Naek had said the Swiss authorities dropped the cases according to their own laws, and not in accordance with immunity under the Pakistani laws.

The former minister had reiterated on Capital Talk, that Pakistan did not officially receive any letter from the Swiss authorities about ending the cases. The letter read out to him did not have any mention of Article 248 of the Constitution of Pakistan, he had added.