The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday raised objection over the draft letter — presented by the government before the apex court — to be sent to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

A five-member bench comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Athar Saeed resumed the hearing of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf last week told the apex court that his government had decided to withdraw a letter previously sent to the Swiss authorities for closing graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. He had also assured the court that he would authorize the law minister to implement the court's previous orders for writing to the Swiss authorities.
As the court resumed hearing on Tuesday after a week's break, the law minister presented his authority papers and the draft of the letter to be sent to the Swiss authorities before the court.
The judges adjourned the hearing for 15 minutes to read contents of the letter at their chamber.
The bench raised objection over few clauses of the letter and noted that there was a difference between reference numbers written on Naek’s letter and the one on Attorney General Malik Qayyum’s letter written in 2008.
The court, in a short order, said that the judges have seen draft of the letter and also held consultations.
The Supreme Court gave the government one day to redraft a letter to be sent to the Swiss authorities.
The law minister later said that he was invited to some points in the drafted letter which required consultations with the government. He then sought adjournment of the hearing for one day. The court accepted his plea and adjourned the hearing till Wednesday.
The draft seeks the withdrawal of letters written in May 22, 2008 by then attorney general Malik Qayyum to Swiss authorities that Pakistan was no longer interested in pursuing graft charges against President Asif Ali Zardari and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
The graft cases were shelved in 2007 after then attorney general, Malik Qayyum, wrote letters to the Swiss authorities following the promulgation of a controversial amnesty law by then military President Pervez Musharraf.
The Supreme Court, however, scrapped the National Reconciliation Ordinance in 2009 and declared that all cases closed under the defunct law stood open.