ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad Friday reopened five National Accountability Bureau (NAB) references against former president Asif Ali Zardari and has summoned a response from him within two weeks, DawnNews reported.

Earlier, the references against Zardari had been deferred because he enjoyed constitutional immunity during his tenure as head of state.

Taking a suo motu notice, the accountability court’s judge Bashir Ahmed reopened the five references against the former president.

The references against the former president include SGS, Cotecna, ARY, polo ground and Ursus tractors.

The court had earlier released Zardari’s co-accused in these references.

Zardari, 58, stepped down from the post of president in September, 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 tenure was riddled with allegations of corruption and mismanagement with the country experiencing perhaps some of the most serious security challenges.