Pakistani Court Rules, PM Faces Possibility Of Disqualification

Islamabad, May 9, IRNA – Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani faces the possibility of being disqualified as a member of parliament for five years following his last month conviction of contempt of court, the country’s top court has ruled. The Supreme Court issued a 77-page detailed verdict regarding PM’s conviction for refusing to accept the court’s orders to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland. Earlier, the court had delivered a short order, convicting Gilani for contempt and giving him a symbolic sentence of less than a minute on April 26. In the short order too, the same bench had observed that Gilani faced possible disqualification. “Apart from the other consequences, a possible conviction on such a charge may entail a disqualification from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or a Provincial Assembly for at least a period of five years,” the court said in its detailed judgment. The seven-judge bench enumerated reasons for the conviction of the PM and analysed the evidence that was presented during his trial in the detailed order. A former Supreme Court Judge Shaeq Usmani said the Speaker National Assembly, Lower House of the Parliament, is now bound to send a reference against the PM to the Election Commission. Gilani, who Tuesday embarked on a five-day official visit to Britain, has rejected demands from the opposition for his resignation after his conviction. He has said that only the speaker of the National Assembly can decide on his disqualification. Under the existing rules, the speaker has 30 days to consider the issue of disqualification, following which the Election Commission has a further 90 days to decide the issue if it is referred to the panel. The Supreme Court has been pressuring the government to revive the cases against Zardari since December 2009, when it struck down a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The government has refused to act, saying the President enjoys complete immunity in Pakistan and abroad. The apex court's detailed order could exacerbate the ongoing standoff between the Pakistan People's Party-led government and the judiciary, which some commentators have accused of acting in an impartial manner against Zardari and Gilani./end