Pakistan’s Supreme Court starts hearing case against amnesty protecting president

The process could lead to challenges against the legality of US-allied President Asif Ali Zardari’s rule just as the Obama administration needs stability in Islamabad to help crack down on militants near the Afghan border.

Court official Azhar Hussain says the bench started hearing petitions Monday but he gave no other details.

Ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf granted the amnesty to former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and Zardari so they could return from self-exile without facing graft charges.