SC larger bench to hear NRO cases from 7th

ISLAMABAD – Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has constituted a larger bench to hear pending National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) cases. The bench will take up the petitions from December 7.
Roedad Khan, Dr. Mubashar Hassan, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif and a number of other persons had challenged NRO soon after its promulgation by the then President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on the grounds that it was repugnant to the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) comprising Justice Shakirullah Jan and Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed had on August 12, 2009 passed an order on Civil Petition No. 142-K/2009 (now C.A. No. 1094/2009 titled as Fazl Ahmed Jat VS NAB).
According to the SC Registrar, the CJ passed an order regarding the NRO cases here on Tuesday.
All the petitions and connecting matters involving examination/interpretation of NRO 2007 be fixed before the larger bench, the office added.
Notices have been issued to the petitioners as well as respondents for the above date of hearing. Separate notices have also been issued to the learned counsels appearing for the petitioners and respondents. Notice has also been issued to the Acting Attorney General of Pakistan.
According to SC Registrar Office, some convicts/prisoners have also prayed for benefit of the NRO, therefore, notices will also be issued to such prisoners through concerned superintendent jails.
As in the above cited various provisions of the Constitution are likely to be interpreted by the Bench, therefore, notice to the Acting Attorney General in accordance with Order XXVII-A CPC has also been issued.
In order to consider the abovementioned question, leave to appeal has been granted. Since the interpretation of certain provisions of statutes are involved in the case having bearing on a large number of cases, this case be placed before Chief Justice of Pakistan for consideration and constitution of larger bench and for fixation of the appeal at an early date.
It is also pertinent to mention here that the Chief Justice ordered to put up NRO cases on the same subject pending for the decision.