Pakistan appeared headed for a fresh round of confrontation, with the Supreme Court today setting July 25 deadline to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, who
signed a bill giving immunity to government functionaries from court contempt.
The government came under pressure after the Supreme Court directed Ashraf to write to the Swiss authorities without any further consultations, failing which appropriate action will be initiated against him.
The court direction to the government came as Zardari gave assent to a bill aimed at giving blanket immunity from
contempt of court proceedings to top government functionaries.
The same issue had cost Ashraf’s predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, his job.
Gilani was convicted of contempt in April after he refused to act on the apex court’s orders to reopen the graft
cases.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry disqualified Gilani for five years last month following which
Ashraf took the job.
Following Gilani’s disqualification, the government had acted in anticipation and brought a bill in the parliament
that will protect top leaders from contempt proceedings.
Hours before the apex court issued its latest order to Ashraf, Zardari had already signed into law the aimed at
countering the court’s efforts to pressure the premier to revive the graft cases in Switzerland.
The five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa said it expected the Premier to write to the Swiss
authorities and furnish a report on complying with the court’s order at the next hearing on July 25.
If the Premier failed to do so, the court will take appropriate action under the Constitution against him, the
bench warned.
The bench headed by Justice Khosa also rejected Ashraf’s response that was submitted through Attorney General Irfan
Qadir.
PTI