ISLAMABAD: Former president Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday said the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) reference filed against him was not have vested interests. 

The petition filed in the Supreme Court against the NRO reference points out a massive financial disrupt and demands compensation of the economic loss from the national exchequer.

After initial hearing on the case, the Supreme Court had issued notices to former presidents Asif Ali Zardari and Pervez Musharraf on the matter, which received response from Zardari and others.

According to Geo News, former president Pervez Musharraf has submitted a response that the NRO was initiated to eliminate political revenge and promote free and fair elections, adding that the reference was not intended for dishonesty and fraud.

He said the NRO was operated as per the state of affairs at the time and the decisions taken were in accordance with the regulations, to which he further applied for abrogation on the case.

The apex court has required details of the off-shore assets of both the former presidents. 

The case against Musharraf, Zardari and former attorney general Qayyum

In April 2018, petitioner Feroz Shah Gilani had requested the court to order recovery of ‘huge amounts of public money’ misappropriated and wasted by them through unlawful means, which are already on record in different judgments of the Supreme Court and high court.

He had contended that Musharraf destabilized the Constitution by declaring emergency followed by the promulgation of the NRO, through which criminal and corruption cases against politicians, including Zardari, were ‘arbitrarily withdrawn’ causing huge financial losses to the national exchequer.