KARACHI, Feb 29: The federal government has withdrawn its plea against Pakistan People’s Party co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, his counsel informed the Sindh High Court on Friday.

Advocate Farooq H. Naek presented a letter sent by National Accountability Bureau prosecutor-general Baseer Ahmad Qureshi to the High Court of Justice, London, and endorsed to him in his capacity as Mr Zardari’s counsel. He was arguing for a petition moved by the PPP leader for quashment of all references and proceedings initiated against him in Pakistan and abroad since 1997.

The counsel produced a copy of a judgment of a five-judge Supreme Court bench declaring that the National Reconciliation Ordinance of Oct 3, 2007, held the field and the judicial and executive authorities should proceed to give effect to it. The SC restored the operation of Sections 6 and 7 of the ordinance, which terminated proceedings instituted under the Ehtesab Act and the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance, pending the hearing of direct petitions filed to challenge the NRO.

NAB deputy prosecutor-general Siddiq Mirza submitted that all seven accountability cases sought to be quashed were proceeding before Attock and Rawalpindi accountability courts and he doubted whether a petition seeking their termination could be filed in the SHC. Deputy Attorney-General Rizwan Ahmed Siddiqui sought time on behalf of Attorney-General Malik Mohammad Qayyum.

Justices Qaiser Iqbal and Syed Mahmood Alam Rizvi adjourned the hearing to March 4 to enable the law officers to seek further instructions and make a definite statement.