PAKISTAN: Mixed reactions as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is found guilty of contempt of court

Record ID: 872849

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Mixed reactions as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is found guilty of contempt of court
  • Date: 28th April 2012
  • Summary: MAN READING PAPER
  • Embargoed: 13th May 2012 13:00
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  • Location: Pakistan, Pakistan
  • City:
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAA9O2JH0DTKYPL38VARD8KFQ8E
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  • Story Text: Pakistanis in various cities across the country were divided on Friday (April 27) about the news of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani being found guilty of contempt of court, but many hailed the court verdict.
    Gilani was convicted on Thursday (April 26) for refusing to reopen corruption cases against the president, but the Supreme Court handed down only a symbolic sentence of a few minutes' detention in the courtroom.
    In the capital Islamabad, where the verdict came from the Supreme Court, residents said the court verdict was commendable.
    "The Supreme Court's verdict is right because the prime minister did not comply with the court orders and he wanted to conceal the corruption of one person. This verdict is also commendable because it ended the discrimination between powerful and weak, proving that the court is free and it punished a person with authority," said resident Zakir Abbasi.
    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 over the past year.
    Despite the light sentence, Gilani could still come under pressure to quit.
    Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and cricketer turned politician Imran Khan immediately demanded Gilani's resignation and some lawyers said the ruling automatically disqualified him from holding the post of prime minister.
    In the eastern city of Lahore, lawyer Mohammad Aslam demanded resignation from the prime minister.
    "The prime minister appeared on television and insulted and mocked the court several times. I think he should resign, he is not worthy of holding the office of prime minister," he said.
    But some residents in Karachi said Gilani should not have been punished at all.
    "Our judges detained the prime minister at the court. The punishment is a punishment whether its 30 seconds or three days. Whatever they have done is wrong," said Junaid Iqbal.
    Gilani's lawyer said the prime minister would appeal against the ruling, which means uncertainty over his fate could drag on for months.
    Gilani is the first serving prime minister in Pakistan's history to be convicted by a court, but his sentence was symbolic and he could have faced up to six months in jail and the loss of office.
    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.
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