Who believes that Pakistan annuls amnesty for corrupt politicians?
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has struck down an amnesty protecting the president and senior ministers from corruption charges, raising questions about the survival of the US-backed civilian government. While President Asif Ali Zardari’ s is immune from prosecution while in office, Wednesday’s ruling heaps pressure on his administration which is a key partner of the United States in the fight against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants. The Supreme Court hearing has churned up details of Zardari’ s alleged personal fortune, and the president already faces plummeting public approval ratings and fractious relations with the powerful military. The NRO was passed in October 2007 by then-president Pervez Musharraf, under international pressure to hold democratic elections and end about eight years of military rule. It quashed charges against a number of politicians including Zardari’ s and his wife and ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto — who was assassinated two months later — to allow them to stand f
