PAKISTAN SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIED GILANI AS PRIME MINISTER

PAKISTAN SUPREME COURT DISQUALIFIED GILANI AS PRIME MINISTER

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday disqualified Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani as Prime Minister with retrospective effect from April 26 when it held him in contempt of court. The verdict was announced by the three-member bench hearing multiple petitions against the National Assembly Speaker's decision not to disqualify Mr. Gilani after the Court convicted him for contempt of court.The judgment was announced amid tight security around the Court premises after lawyers concluded their arguments earlier in the day. Before breaking for recess, the bench - presided by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry - had said the verdict would be pronounced at 3 p.m.

Contempt of court proceedings had been initiated against the Prime Minister in January for repeatedly refusing to write to Swiss authorities asking for reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. Convicting him on April 26, the court had symbolically held him prisoner for 37 seconds - till the rising of the court - and the matter was taken up by the Speaker who said there was no ground for disqualifying him. This was challenged by the two main opposition parties - the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Pakistan political crisis

Prof. John Kurakar