Pakistani Prime Minister charged with contempt of court by the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court charged Pakistan’s prime minister with contempt Monday for defying its order to reopen an old corruption case against the president, sharpening a political crisis that has shaken this already volatile country.

At a separate hearing, the top court also took on the country’s powerful army, demanding that two military intelligence agencies explain why they held seven suspected militants for 18 months in allegedly harsh conditions without
charging them.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani pleaded not guilty to the contempt charge. If convicted, he could be imprisoned and will likely lose his job. Analysts said the premier seems willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his
party and his political ally, President Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr. Gilani’s ouster would not topple the government, but the case has distracted officials from dealing with a host of ills facing the nuclear-armed country, including a stuttering economy and a vicious Islamist insurgency.

The political turmoil has also been a problem for the United States because it wants Pakistan to focus on repairing troubled bilateral relations and help negotiate peace with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Mr. Gilani drove himself
and his lawyer to court, an apparent attempt to show humility to the judges.

Security was tight, with helicopters buzzing through the rainy, overcast sky and hundreds of police blocking roads leading to the court building in the capital, Islamabad. One of the judges, Nasirul Mulk, read out the contempt
charge, saying Mr. Gilani had “wilfully flouted, disregarded and disobeyed the direction given by this court.”

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=12692

Posted by Hamza Jahangir on Feb 14 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry