Prime Minister of Pakistan censured by Supreme Court

Prime Minister of Pakistan censured by Supreme Court

Seven member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) Thursday resumed the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was criticized by the court over his assertion that he cannot act upon the ruling for the time being.

The counsel of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gilani, Aitezaz Ahsan, commented on the matter in the following manner: “I took no personal exception against any honorable judge of the bench.”

The PM’s counsel said Article-10A is a fundamental right and no law contradicting it, can stay as it is. Justice Aijaz Afzal said it is the prerogative of the Chief Justice to incorporate any judge in the bench.

Replying to this, Ahsan said the Chief Justice forms any bench under Supreme Court’s rules, not under the Constitution, adding these rules are not above the Constitution.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has been asking the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to write to the Swiss probe in order to re start an investigation regarding a money laundering case in which the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had been named. Not
only that, the former President of the country, the deceased Benazir Bhutto had also been named as the involved parties in the case.

However, during the time that the President of Pakistan was Gen. (retd) Pervez Musharraf, the National Reconciliation Ordinance was drafted and it was signed by Bhutto which brought an end to the investigation. Despite that fact, the apex court of the country
had deemed the NRO as illegal which in effect called for the re starting of the investigation against President Asif Ali Zardari.

However, the government of Pakistan ruled by the Pakistan People’s Party had resisted the orders of the Supreme Court as the Prime Minister of the country had stated that the President was immune to being investigated on the pretext of legal immunity both
within and outside the country. Therefore, Yousuf Raza Gilani had claimed that the act of writing to the Swiss probe would be illegal under the constitution of Pakistan.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had held the Prime Minister of the country in contempt for not obeying court orders.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=18855

Posted by Rabiya Maqbool on Apr 12 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry