Gilani not guilty of contempt of court: Aitzaz Ahsan

Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is not guilty of contempt of court, but should bow to pressure and ask Switzerland to re-open graft cases against the president, his lawyer has said.

The comments from Aitzaz Ahsan are the clearest indication yet that Gilani may step back from the brink of further confrontation with the judiciary when he is summoned before Pakistan’s top court on Thursday, The Dawn reports.

The Supreme Court has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Gilani, but Ahsan believes Gilani will not be convicted.

“I don’t think the prime minister has committed contempt of court by not writing the letter. Through my arguments I will try to convince the court that the prime minister is not guilty of contempt,” he said.

The government had earlier refused to write to the Swiss, asking them to re-open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari since an amnesty expired in 2009.

“Asif Ali Zardari has complete immunity as president. There is no harm in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities. He enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad as long as he is president,” ,” Ahsan said.

Gilani is poised to appear before the Supreme Court on January 19th to present his points over the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) issue, which has plunged the country into a political crisis.