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| Pakistan court voids amnesty law | Pakistan court voids amnesty law |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that a decree protecting allies of President Asif Zardari against charges of corruption is illegal. | |
| The controversial law granting senior politicians amnesty was brought in by ex-President Pervez Musharraf. | The controversial law granting senior politicians amnesty was brought in by ex-President Pervez Musharraf. |
| The court's move opens the way to possible prosecution for Mr Zardari's political allies, although he is still protected by presidential immunity. | |
| Mr Zardari faces several pending court cases against him in Pakistan. | Mr Zardari faces several pending court cases against him in Pakistan. |
| Before taking office, he spent years in jail after being convicted on corruption charges he says were politically motivated. | |
| Pressure | |
| In its ruling, the court said the law "seems to be against national interests thus it violates the provisions of the constitution". | |
| The law was introduced by Mr Musharraf in order to allow Mr Zardari's late wife, Benazir Bhutto, to return to the country and stand for office, with the aim of a possible power-sharing deal with Mr Musharraf. | |
| The BBC's Aleem Maqbool, in Islamabad, says it has only recently been revealed that more than 8,000 politicians and officials benefited from the legislation. | |
| The court has now called for all of these cases to be re-opened. | |
| Our correspondent says that Mr Zardari and his government will come under pressure to step down on moral grounds, though there are no signs that this is likely to happen. |