ISLAMABAD: The federation’s law division on Tuesday submitted its response in the Supreme Court during the hearing of a petition against former president Asif Ali Zardari over barring him from leaving the country, DawnNews reported.

Earlier, petitioner Shahid Orakzai had filed an application in the Supreme Court stating that Zardari, who completed his tenure as president on September 8, should not be allowed to leave the country as his predecessors had done in the past.

The federation’s reply submitted in the SC today said that according to Article 46 of the Constitution, the prime minister was bound to brief the president on internal affairs, foreign policy issues and legislation.

Moreover, the reply said that the petitioner’s rights were not violated by the Abbottabad operation that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, adding that if the court wanted to probe the matter, the Establishment Division and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were the relevant bodies and the law ministry had not been made a party on the issue.

Zardari, 58, stepped down from the post of president on Sunday, leaving his official residence after a record five years in power. He became the first democratically elected president in the history of Pakistan to fully complete his constitutional tenure and be replaced by another elected individual. His successor, Mamnoon Hussain, was sworn in on Monday.

His tenure was riddled with allegations of corruption and mismanagement with the country experiencing perhaps the most serious security challenges. However, his years in office were also witness to a handful of achievements such as the passage of the 18th Amendment, the 7th National Finance Commission Award, legislation on women rights and most importantly a smooth transition of power from one democratically elected civilian government to the next.