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Pakistan PM convicted of contempt, receives no jail time

By Mahawish Rezvi

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday found Prime

Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against the president, but

gave him only a symbolic sentence of a few minutes’ detention in the courtroom.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (R) arrives at Gimpo airport in Seoul March 25, 2012 on the eve of the 

2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (R) arrives at Gimpo airport in

Seoul March 25, 2012 on the eve of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. REUTERS/Liu Jin/Pool

It was unclear if

the token sentence would defuse political uncertainty in Pakistan, where the president and prime minister have jousted with

the military and judiciary. Despite the light sentence, Gilani could still come under pressure to quit.

“For reasons

to be recorded later, the prime minister is found guilty of contempt for wilfully flouting the direction of the Supreme

Court,” said Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.

Gilani is the first serving prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be convicted

by a court, but his sentence – detention lasting just a few minutes until the session was adjourned – was symbolic. He could

have faced up to six months in jail and the loss of office.

“I think what they’ve done is taken it from the legal

arena and chucked it into the political arena,” said Cyril Almeida, a prominent columnist for the Dawn daily

newspaper.

He said opposition members of parliament now might move to expel Gilani from office.

“There will be

massive pressure from the opposition, the media, from civil society, saying ‘He’s been convicted for flouting the letter of

the law and he should go home,'” Almeida said. “There will be a lot of pressure for him to resign.”

MONEY-LAUNDERING

CASES

A throng of supporters surrounded Gilani as he walked into the court in Islamabad, showering him with rose

petals. Security was tight, with about 1,000 police officers standing by in riot gear and helicopters circling the Supreme

Court building.

Gilani’s lawyers had said before the verdict that he would not automatically be disqualified from

office if convicted, and at any rate he would be able to appeal against the verdict.

The case stems from what many

observers say is a political battle between the government and the military, which has held the whip hand in Pakistan’s

political arena for most of the country’s 64 years of independence. Many say the army is using the court to keep the

government on the back foot.

Thousands of corruption cases were thrown out in 2007 by an amnesty law passed under

former military president Pervez Musharraf, which paved the way for a return to civilian rule. Two years later, the Supreme

Court ruled that agreement illegal and ordered cases involving Swiss banks against President Asif Ali Zardari

re-opened.

Gilani and his government have refused to obey the court’s order to write to Swiss authorities asking them

to re-open money laundering cases against Zardari. The government argues that Zardari has immunity as the head of

state.

“This is a historic day. The court has declared a lawmaker a lawbreaker. This is weakening democracy in

Pakistan,” said Firdous Ashiq Awan, former information minister.

(Additional reporting by Qasim Nauman; Writing by

Chris Allbritton; Editing by John Chalmers)

 

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Pakistan PM convicted of contempt, receives no jail time

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