Pak SC says PM should have acted on its orders in Zardari case

Islamabad: Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani should have written to Swiss authorities to revive money laundering charges against Asif Ali Zardari before invoking the defence of immunity for the President, Pakistan's Supreme Court said on Wednesday as it heard a contempt case against the Prime Minister.

The apex court adjourned till tomorrow the contempt case against Gilani after hearing arguments that the Premier had done nothing wrong by deciding not to act on its order to reopen graft cases against Zardari.

Gilani's lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, one of Pakistan's top legal minds, and the seven-judge bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk sparred on various technical issues during today's proceedings.

The Premier had personally appeared before the bench when it first took up the contempt case on January 19 but he was exempted from further hearings.

Ahsan insisted that the President had complete immunity from prosecution in Pakistan and abroad and the government could not ask foreign authorities to act against him.

The bench, however, maintained that the government should have acted on the apex court's order to write to Swiss authorities to revive cases of alleged money laundering against Zardari and then invoked the defence of presidential immunity.

Ahsan then said Gilani had acted on the advice of his legal aides, including the Law Minister and the Law Secretary, when he decided not to write the letter to the Swiss authorities.

He said there was no harm in writing the letter but pointed out at the same time that contempt of court would not be committed if the letter is not written.