Court reading of Article 248 a headache for govt

ISLAMABAD – The top leadership of the ruling PPP is in quandary over the implications of Supreme Court’s interpretation of Article 248 that provides constitutional immunity to the president, prime minister and provincial governors.Well-placed sources told TheNation on Monday that the PPP leadership continued debating over the potential repercussions of the interpretation of Article 248 by the apex court. Sources said President Asif Ali Zardari and his close legal brains were discussing the issue, its ultimate interpretation by the apex court and the potential implications.“Since Article 248 has not been interpreted so far, its interpretation in relation to immunity to President Zardari for writing letter to Swiss authority remains a hanging sword,” sources said.They were of the view that in case the apex court interpreted the Article 248, while addressing the question of immunity, would leave far reaching political implications especially for the PPP and its coalition partners.Sources said since the immunity to the president included one of the six options the Supreme Court had given to the government for implementation of its order on NRO case; therefore, it remained a constant source of anxiety for the top PPP leadership.

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