Yousuf Raza Gilani said he had seen reports in a section of the media that named his wife as one of the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance.
Pakistan prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani today that said he would quit if it is proved that his wife benefited from a controversial law issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to scrap graft cases against hundreds of people, including President Asif Ali Zardari.
Gilani said he had seen reports in a section of the media today that named his wife Fauzia as one of the beneficiaries of the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He made it clear that she had not benefited from the law.
"If there is any such thing, in case it is proved that my wife has taken relief from the NRO, I will resign from prime ministership," he told reporters on the sidelines of an official function.
Gilani said he "smelt a rat" in the inclusion of his wife's name in the list of beneficiaries of NRO that appeared in the media. He said the government will conduct an inquiry to find out why the law ministry had not submitted a list of beneficiaries to parliament during its last session.
Several corruption cases against Zardari and federal ministers belonging to the ruling Pakistan People's Party were scrapped under the NRO but Gilani chose to contest graft cases against him in court and was subsequently acquitted by the judiciary. Musharraf passed the NRO in October 2007 to ensure that the PPP, then the largest opposition party in parliament, did not boycott presidential elections he contested while still in uniform.
In a verdict issued in July, the Supreme Court directed the government to get the NRO ratified by parliament by November 28. However, the PPP-led government was forced to drop its plans to present the NRO in parliament for ratification due to intense pressure from political parties, including the PML-N
and Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Gilani explained that his wife was a director in a company whose CEO was imprisoned after the firm defaulted on payments but she was not found guilty of any wrongdoing. He said his wife had held the director's position in 1985 and he had not been found guilty of any financial improprieties, and this was why he was allowed by election authorities to contest polls in 1988, 1990, 1993, 1997 and 2008.
Some legal experts believe Zardari's problems will be compounded if the NRO lapses on November 28 as there is a possibility of graft cases against him being revived. Asked about this issue, Gilani said: "We will cross the bridge when we come to it."
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