Political pressure has forced the ruling PPP to abandon a move to get Parliament to endorse a controversial law that scrapped graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Following a meeting of senior PPP leaders chaired by Zardari and PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, the party announced late Monday night that it would not ask Parliament to validate the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), issued by Pervez Musharraf in 2007 to grant immunity in corruption cases to PPP leaders.

The PPP’s move came after some leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), an ally of PPP, said that their party chief Altaf Hussain had advised Zardari to resign to save democracy and main Opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif threatened to launch nationwide protests if NRO was endorsed by Parliament.

Under a ruling given by Supreme Court on July 31, the NRO has to be endorsed by Parliament within four months. Musharraf issued the NRO to ensure that the PPP did not boycott presidential polls held in October 2007 that led to his re-election while still in military uniform. If the NRO is not ratified by Parliament within the specified period, it will lapse.

President, son in land scam: Report

ISLAMABAD: A private firm purportedly owned by President Asif Ali Zardari and his son Bilawal has allegedly purchased land valued at Rs 2 billion for a fraction of its worth, according to a media report on Tuesday.

The News reported that 307 acres of prime land in Islamabad was bought by the President in March this year. The land that was valued at Rs 2 billion was allegedly bought for Rs 62 million.

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