Shahabuddin to become the Pak PM, as Gilani disqualifies
Islamabad. Pakistan’s Supreme court on Tuesday disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani from office citing his conviction for conviction for contempt and asked Presidne Asif Ali Zardari to appoint a new Premier. Ruling Pakistan People’s Party has now nominated senior leader Makhdoom Shahabuddin for this post.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued the verdict in response to several petitions that had challenged National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza’s decision not to disqualify Gilani following his conviction nearly two months ago.
The Supreme Court announced the ruling after convicting Gilani on April 26 of contempt for refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen a multimillion-dollar corruption investigation into President Asif Zardari in a highly politicised case.
The bench further ruled that the post of premier had been vacant since April 26, when another seven-judge bench had convicted Gilani of contempt for refusing to reopen graft cases in Switzerland against President Zardari.
The bench directed the election commission to issue a notification stating that Gilani, 60, was no longer a member of parliament.
In response to a demand from a petitioner that the court should direct the President to order the election of a new premier, the bench asked Zardari to act according to the Constitution for the continuation of democracy.
The apex court’s ruling had been expected in political circles for some time.
During the hearing of the petitions yesterday, the chief justice had questioned whether a convicted person could continue representing the 180 million people of Pakistan.
The judiciary and the government have been engaged in a standoff since December 2009, when the apex court annulled a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf that benefited Zardari and over 8,000 others.
