Zardari rescues Rehman Malik from imprisonment

Islamabad, May 18: Pak president Asif Ali Zardari rescues the Interior Minister Rehman Malik from ending in jail. Zardari granted the pardon by an eleventh hour, after a court dismissed Malik's appeal against conviction in two graft cases. The development occurred on Monday, May 17, night.

The President also halted two prison terms given to Malik using the constitutional powers, informed Farhatullah Barbar, the presidential spokesperson.

The pardon was allotted under Article 45 of the constitution, on the advice of Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Prime Minister. Article 45 enables the President to remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by the court.

Malik (59) is out of the nation. There were some propaganda that he might not return the nation till the matter of the prison sentence was settled.

Malik who was the assistant director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), was accused of receiving two luxury cars as graft. He was alleged of taking away Rs 700,000 and 20 tolas of gold from the house of a suspect during a raid by FIA in the mid 1990's. He was sentenced by anti-corruption court in absentia in 2004.

The court dismissed his plea against the conviction by an anti-corruption court. He was also awarded two three-year imprisonment terms. It had put immense pressure on Malik to resign before filing an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision of Lahore high court.

OneIndia News