Pakistan's Supreme Court struck down a 2007 amnesty decree last Wednesday, setting off a wave of renewed corruption investigations that quickly reached sitting cabinet ministers.
The National Accountability Bureau placed 253 people on a travel restriction list, reviving dormant graft cases against politicians, bureaucrats, former military officers, and diplomats. Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar was blocked from an official visit to China; the prime minister's office later ordered a formal inquiry into the ban. Interior Minister Rehman Malik was summoned to appear before an accountability court on 8 January.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani suspended the interior secretary, a senior Federal Investigation Agency official, and two inspectors, providing no further explanation.
President Asif Ali Zardari, shielded by immunity while in office, faces questions about his eligibility for the presidency since corruption charges were pending against him when the amnesty was issued. The ordinance, passed in October 2007 by then-president Pervez Musharraf under pressure to restore civilian rule, had also covered Zardari's wife, the late Benazir Bhutto. Calls for Zardari's resignation grew louder after the ruling.
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States urged calm, while political analysts warned that a prolonged crisis could damage both governance and the country's security situation.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in December 2009, in its own words.