Pak Govt. assures of no 'radical steps' in row with judiciary

Islamabad, June 29 (ANI): The Pakistan Government, in a move to pacify nervous world capitals, declared that it has no plans to take any "radical steps" which may aggravate its ongoing row with the judiciary over the reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Addressing foreign diplomats, Law Minister Farook H Naek attempted to dispel the impression that the country was heading towards any major constitutional or political crisis - particularly in regard to a lingering controversy over the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) implementation case, reports The Express Tribune.

The briefing came just a day after the Supreme Court gave newly inducted Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf two weeks to state whether he intends to write a letter to Swiss authorities or not. Last week, former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani was ousted from power by the apex court after he refused to write to Swiss authorities regarding the reopening of graft cases against Zardari.

The latest court direction has led to a flurry of speculations that the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was considering several options to pre-empt the judiciary's next move - including a constitutional amendment to curtail the apex court's powers to interpret constitutional issues, and set up a new federal judicial body to deal with such matters.

The government, it is believed, is also contemplating changing the law of contempt to provide immunity to both the offices of the president and the premier.

However, according to a source, the law minister denied these speculations vehemently.

"Pakistan is passing through a transition and every institution is trying to assert itself," Naek said, and insisted that all issues would be settled within the constitutional framework. (ANI)