Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday said Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari's return to Pakistan was not the result of a deal with the government.

Talking to reporters in the federal capital, he said that there was no deal between the government and the PPP leadership and added that no assurances were given to PPP's leadership in this regard.

“The PPP was not happy over PML-N’s stance on cases against certain PPP leaders. PPP wanted the federal government to put the cases against its leadership on hold,” claimed Nisar, while elaborating on the differences between the PPP and PML-N.

He also claimed that the PPP wanted the cases, which were filed on the orders of the apex court during PPP’s tenure, put on hold but he became an obstacle and did not proceed in that direction.

'Plea bargain a safe passage for thieves'

Nisar displayed strong opposition to the practice of plea bargains and termed it tantamount to providing a safe passage to thieves. He expressed his desire to amend National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.

The interior minister said he supports the idea that NAB should be completely autonomous and proposed that NAB's chief be appointed by the country's top court.