No NRO for the corrupt, only plea bargain: Imran Khan

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that no NRO will be given to his former counterpart Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari, however, an option of a plea bargain is available.

In an interview with ARY News on Monday night, Khan said, "No NRO will be given to anyone. But yes! An option of plea bargaining is available for everyone. If Nawaz wants to go abroad for his medical treatment then he has to return the looted money first."

"Go wherever you want to go but first return the looted money of Pakistan," he added.

The NRO or National Reconciliation Ordinance was an ordinance issued in October 2007 granting pardon to politicians, political workers and bureaucrats accused of corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, murder, and terrorism.

"Money launderers are being kept as VIPs. I have asked the law ministry to shift them to a jail where regular prisoners are kept," the Prime Minister said.

Sharif is imprisoned in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail after an accountability court awarded him a seven-year jail term after being convicted in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case, while Zardari is in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since yesterday in the multi-billion dollars Park Lane Properties case.

Commenting on the cases against the former rulers, Khan stressed all cases against Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were made by themselves.

He said "Hudaibiya Paper Mills case was made by the PPP regime against Nawaz Sharif. Similarly, the Surrey Palace case against Asif Zardari was made by the PML-N government."

"All previous rulers were involved in money laundering," he said, adding that Hussain Nawaz lives in luxury house of London worth USD 43 million.

"Asif Zardari as a president toured 40 times for the United Arab Emirates. Nawaz Sharif had spent Rs 64 million on foreign tours. Those who have made the country bankrupt are asking us for accountability. These rulers [PML-N, PPP] have ruined the departments like PIA, Railway and others," he added.

The premier reiterated, "[Former president] Pervez Musharraf had given NRO to Nawaz Sharif first in shape of exile in Saudi Arabia, where, the second NRO was given to former president Asif Zardari."

He said that the 'Charter of Corruption' was also a genre of NRO that had been given to them.

Khan yesterday revealed that the Sharif family had sought the help of two countries to secure an NRO and reach a 'compromise' with Islamabad.

"The sons of jailed leader approached two countries to help send their father abroad. But they informed me that they will not interfere in the matter," the Prime Minister told a private TV channel. "The two NROs promulgated by Pervez Musharraf for leaders of two political parties damaged the country a lot, raising the debt from Rs 6,000 billion to Rs 30,000 billion," he said. "There is no possibility of any deal with both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari," he added.

To a question, he said the army and the government are on the same page and that he will accept no pressure from anyone and anywhere to give NRO to the jailed opposition leader.

The Prime Minister further announced that the government is now taking action against 'benami' properties of Pakist politicians and will start seizing them from tomorrow.

( With inputs from ANI )