ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared inadmissible the government's reply in the NRO implementation case, DawnNews reported.

The reply, submitted by Attorney General Irfan Qadir, was subsequently returned with objections.

Earlier today, submitting its reply in the Supreme Court, the federal government had stated that the prime minister can not write the letter to authorities in Switzerland to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The reply had stated that under the Constitution, the advice of the federal cabinet was binding on the prime minister and that the cabinet had not given any such recommendation to the premier. The cabinet at present has not made a decision on the issue, the reply stated.

The reply moreover requested the court to review its ruling of July 12.

The government moreover stated that the seven-judge bench did not have the authority to summon the prime minister.

It further said that the so-called second option pertaining to initiating proceedings against the premier could no longer be applied.

July 12 proceedings

On July 12, a five-judge bench of the apex court stated in its order: “Adjourned to July 25 on which date the Prime Minister of Pakistan/Chief Executive of the Federation shall cause a report to be submitted before this court regarding compliance of the directions contained in paragraph No. 177 and 178 (writing the letter to Swiss authorities) of the judgment passed by this court in case of Dr Mobashir Hassan (NRO case) failing which this court may initiate any appropriate action under the Constitution.”

Also during the hearing, the attorney general had said that “the cabinet had taken up the matter and it desired that the law ministry should furnish its views as regards the matter of implementation of the NRO judgment.”

The AG had further stated that as and when the law ministry rendered its opinion, the cabinet would take a decision in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Letter to Swiss authorities

Earlier on June 27, the bench had given the new prime minister two weeks to indicate whether he would ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Zardari.

The court on June 19 dismissed Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister after convicting him of contempt in April for refusing to reopen the multi-million-dollar cases against the president.

Raja Pervez Ashraf was later elected as the new prime minister.

The allegations against President Zardari date back to the 1990s, when he and his late wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto were suspected of using Swiss bank accounts to launder $12 million allegedly paid in bribes by companies seeking customs inspection contracts.

The Swiss shelved the case in 2008 when Zardari became president and the government had been insisting that the president has full immunity.

But in 2009 the Supreme Court overturned the NRO, a political amnesty that had frozen investigations into the president and other politicians, ordering that the cases be reopened.