November 18, 2008	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 19, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is still facing two National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases about misuse of powers although the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) has terminated all cases registered between 1986 and 1999.

NAB sources told Dawn on Monday that the PM’s lawyer had filed appeals against his conviction in two cases by NAB courts but so far he had not submitted to the court that the cases should be quashed under the NRO.

“Actually all cases falling under the NRO are terminated by relevant courts,” NAB Chairman Navaid Ahsan told Dawn.

However, sources said there was no indication in the NRO that such cases would be dissolved by courts.

On Feb 11, 2001, Mr Gillani was sentenced to 10-year jail term and fined Rs100 million by the National Accountability Court on charges of irregularities in recruitment to the National Assembly Secretariat during his 1993-96 tenure as the Speaker of the National Assembly.

In another case, he was charged with having 15 official cars for personal use. Lawyers of the prime minister had challenged the conviction in 2001 and a division bench of the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, on Oct 7, 2006, granted him bail in both cases and directed the authorities concerned to release him on submission of two sureties of one million rupees each. These appeals have since been pending.

The sources said politicians, especially those belonging to the PPP, have themselves set precedence of seeking relief from the court despite their cases having been automatically terminated under the NRO.

Advocate Bashir Kiani, the counsel for the prime minister, has recently filed a civil miscellaneous petition before the Islamabad High Court, praying to the court about taking up the appeals on an urgent basis.