Pakistan PM Digs in On Contempt Charges

Pakistan's embattled prime minister Thursday defended himself against contempt charges before the Supreme Court, refusing to back down in a case that could see him disqualified from office if convicted.

It is only the second time that Pakistan's highest court has initiated contempt proceedings against a sitting prime minister, plunging the weak government deeper into a crisis that could force early elections within months.

The government is also under enormous pressure from the army and judiciary over a memo asking Washington to prevent a feared coup last May, compounding widespread belief that the administration is staggering on its last legs.

The court summoned Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to explain his refusal to ask Switzerland to re-open graft cases against the president, then adjourned until February 1 and conceded that premier would not have to appear next time.

The government refused to ask the Swiss authorities to re-open the long-standing cases on the grounds that Asif Ali Zardari enjoys immunity from prosecution as head of state.

Gilani spoke of his respect for the judiciary but did not apologize or deviate from his long-standing position.

"I have come today to show my respect to this court," Gilani told the seven judges. "It will not give a good message to proceed against a president who is elected by a two-thirds majority."

"There is complete immunity for heads of state everywhere," Gilani stressed.

He appeared relaxed as he arrived at court, smiling and waving to the phalanx of television cameras lined up outside. Police and paramilitary troops deployed in a rigorous show of security as a helicopter circled overhead.

Analysts warn that unless the prime minister finds a way of satisfying the court order or decides to resign, he could be convicted, jailed for up to six months and disqualified from public office.

His lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, has argued that the government may as well write to the Swiss authorities, but on Thursday appeared to harden his stance.

"Bowing before them, I will God willing try to satisfy the court that there is complete immunity in this matter," Ahsan told reporters.

In court, he told the judges he needed time to prepare and the hearing was adjourned until February 1.

"The prime minister is a busy man we cannot call him every day. The prime minister is exempted and needs not appear at its next hearing," judge Nasir-ul-Mulk said.

Ahsan is hugely respected by the judiciary for his role in forcing the government to reinstate independent judges in March 2009 and as such his appointment was seen as a conciliatory gesture from the prime minister's camp.

The Supreme Court judges have listed six options for resolving the case, which include disqualifying the prime minister and president "for violating oaths" and initiating contempt proceedings against Gilani.

Another option was that "if the president thinks he has constitutional immunity he may raise the issue now".

Outside court, dozens of lawyers protested against the president and prime minister, accusing them of bypassing the law. Gilani was accompanied by senior cabinet ministers and political allies in a show of support.

The allegations against Zardari were frozen by a political amnesty imposed by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2007. But the courts overturned the amnesty in late 2009 and demanded that the government revisit the cases.

Tainted by corruption allegations, Zardari is nicknamed "Mr 10 Percent" and spent 11 years in jail on charges ranging from corruption to murder, although his supporters point out that he was never convicted.

Zardari and his late wife, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, were suspected of using Swiss bank accounts to launder about $12 million in alleged bribes paid by companies seeking customs inspection contracts in Pakistan in the 1990s.

A Swiss prosecutor has since said it would be "impossible" to reopen the case against Zardari since he benefits from immunity as a head of state.

Zardari has separately been accused over a controversial May 10 memo that sought U.S. assistance to curb the powerful military.

His ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, was forced to resign and a judicial inquiry is examining who was responsible for the note.

The domestic turmoil has temporarily overshadowed a drastic deterioration in relations with the United States that plummeted disastrously in 2011 over a series of crises, largely America's covert killing of Osama bin Laden on May 2.