ISLAMABAD, March 16: A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday with the request that the government be directed to place before a court the pardon granted to nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for ratification.

In his constitutional petition filed under Article 184(3), Maulvi Iqbal Haider, a self-styled pro bono publico, prayed the court to examine Dr Khan's confessional statement and appoint a judge for determining its authenticity.

The petitioner asked the court to decide whether the president was empowered to grant pardon to any important person in the name of national interest, bypassing the court procedure.

The court should decide whether the pardon was covered by the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance and the Secrecy Act, he said. He contended that the president could grant pardon after the trial and conviction of an accused.