On Wednesday, the
Supreme Court - which has already dismissed the prime minister, Yousuf Raza
Gilani, over the issue - summoned his successor Raja Pervez Ashraf on August
27 for ignoring a request to ask Swiss authorities to reopen cases against
the head of state, Asif Ali Zardari.
It is the latest episode
in a two-and-a-half-year saga in which the government has resisted demands to
have Zardari investigated, arguing that as president he enjoys immunity.
The government is due
to become the first in Pakistan's history to complete an elected, full
five-year mandate in February 2013, but the showdown could force polls before
then.
The court had
previously given Ashraf until August 8 to write to Switzerland asking it to
reopen the multimillion-dollar graft probes.
"We issue notice
to Raja Pervez Ashraf under [the] contempt of court act 2003, read with
article 204 of the constitution to show cause as to why he may not be
proceeded (against) in contempt of court and [is] not complying [with the]
relevant direction of the court," said Judge Asif Saeed Khosa.
"He shall appear
in person at the next date of hearing. Hearing adjourned until August
27," the judge added.
'Personal vendetta'
Critics of the
judiciary and members of Zardari's main ruling Pakistan People's Party accuse
the court of over stepping its reach and waging a personal vendetta against
the president.
The government had
wanted the case adjourned until September. Irfan Qadir, the attorney
general, said he needed time "to bridge the gap" between the
two sides, and "find an amicable solution".
Experts say Ashraf
will be asked to explain his position on August 27.
If the court is not
satisfied, he risks being summoned to be indicted for contempt, precipitating
the second contempt trial against a sitting prime minister in just months.
The allegations
against Zardari date back to the 1990s, when he and his wife, late premier
Benazir Bhutto, were suspected of using Swiss bank accounts to launder $12
million allegedly paid in bribes by companies seeking customs
inspection contracts.
The Swiss shelved the
cases in 2008 when Zardari became president and the government insists the
president has full immunity as head of state.
But in 2009 the
Supreme Court overturned a political amnesty that had frozen investigations
into the president and other politicians, ordering that the cases be
reopened.
Zardari had already
signed the contempt law, which sought to exempt government figures, including
the president, prime minister and cabinet ministers from contempt for acts
performed as part of their job.
Imtiaz Gul, an
analyst, told AFP that Wednesday's decision showed the court was refusing to
back down. "The logical consequence of the court's position is the
disqualification of any prime minister who refuses to write the letter,"
he said.
Peter’s Comment
The judges of Pakistan’s
Supreme Court must be the only honest and corruption free people in the whole
country.
What a pity that they
have to be the stage managers for a comic opera called Deals Within Wheels for the Big Wheels.
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