Pakistan's top court dismissed the prime minister for contempt on Tuesday, ushering in a new round of political turmoil in a nation vital to American hopes of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
The Supreme Court ruling was a major escalation in a long-running confrontation between the judges and the government, and appeared to be a knockout blow against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, effectively dismissing his Cabinet as well.
A spokesman for Gilani's Pakistan People's Party, Zaman Kaira, said the party had "reservations" about the verdict and urged supporters to stay calm. He said the party was meeting with coalition partners and legal experts on its next step. Hours later, the country's election commission officially announced that Gilani was no longer prime minister.
In the past, the PPP, the largest party in a fragile ruling coalition, has said it would have the numbers in parliament to elect a new premier if Gilani was ousted by the court. Some suggested that Gilani and his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, might try to resist the order. That could spark institutional deadlock and social unrest, even raising the possibility of the army staging a coup as it has done three times in the country's past.
AP
FILE - In this Thursday, April 26, 2012 file... View Full Caption
FILE - In this Thursday, April 26, 2012 file photo, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court for a hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's top court declared on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 that the country's prime minister was disqualified from office due to an earlier contempt conviction, delivering what appeared to be fatal blow against the premier's political career and ushering in political turmoil. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash, File) Close
The political chaos comes amid a near breakdown in relations between the United States and Pakistan, whose ties to the Afghan Taliban make it important in any negotiated settlement in neighboring Afghanistan.
Washington wants Pakistan to reopen supply lines to Afghanistan that were blocked in November to protest U.S. airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani border troops. With anti-Americanism rife, the government — now even weaker politically — will be less likely to swiftly undertake the unpopular stop of reopening the supply lines.
The Supreme Court ordered the country's election commission to formally dismiss Gilani and said he had not legally been the prime minister since April 26, when the court convicted him for contempt for refusing to open a corruption probe against Zardari dating back to the 1990s and involving the jurisdiction of courts in Switzerland.
"The office of the prime minister shall be deemed to be vacant accordingly," said Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry, who then ordered Zardari to "ensure the continuation of the democratic process", widely seen as instructing him to begin the process of electing a new premier.
Yasin Azad, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said Gilani had the right to file a "review petition" against the ruling within 30 days, but it would have little chance of success.
Ahsan Iqbal, an opposition leader, praised the ruling and urged Zardari to nominate a new prime minister.
"Gilani stands disqualified," he said. "Now the president should convene the session of the parliament to elect a new prime minister."
The Zardari government has failed to make any headway in tackling any of the nuclear-armed nation's many problems, including near economic collapse and its own struggle against Islamist militants behind attacks that have left many thousands dead over the last five years.
The Supreme Court ruling was a major escalation in a long-running confrontation between the judges and the government, and appeared to be a knockout blow against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, effectively dismissing his Cabinet as well.
A spokesman for Gilani's Pakistan People's Party, Zaman Kaira, said the party had "reservations" about the verdict and urged supporters to stay calm. He said the party was meeting with coalition partners and legal experts on its next step. Hours later, the country's election commission officially announced that Gilani was no longer prime minister.
In the past, the PPP, the largest party in a fragile ruling coalition, has said it would have the numbers in parliament to elect a new premier if Gilani was ousted by the court. Some suggested that Gilani and his boss, President Asif Ali Zardari, might try to resist the order. That could spark institutional deadlock and social unrest, even raising the possibility of the army staging a coup as it has done three times in the country's past.
AP
FILE - In this Thursday, April 26, 2012 file... View Full Caption
FILE - In this Thursday, April 26, 2012 file photo, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court for a hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's top court declared on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 that the country's prime minister was disqualified from office due to an earlier contempt conviction, delivering what appeared to be fatal blow against the premier's political career and ushering in political turmoil. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash, File) Close
The political chaos comes amid a near breakdown in relations between the United States and Pakistan, whose ties to the Afghan Taliban make it important in any negotiated settlement in neighboring Afghanistan.
Washington wants Pakistan to reopen supply lines to Afghanistan that were blocked in November to protest U.S. airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani border troops. With anti-Americanism rife, the government — now even weaker politically — will be less likely to swiftly undertake the unpopular stop of reopening the supply lines.
The Supreme Court ordered the country's election commission to formally dismiss Gilani and said he had not legally been the prime minister since April 26, when the court convicted him for contempt for refusing to open a corruption probe against Zardari dating back to the 1990s and involving the jurisdiction of courts in Switzerland.
"The office of the prime minister shall be deemed to be vacant accordingly," said Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudry, who then ordered Zardari to "ensure the continuation of the democratic process", widely seen as instructing him to begin the process of electing a new premier.
Yasin Azad, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said Gilani had the right to file a "review petition" against the ruling within 30 days, but it would have little chance of success.
Ahsan Iqbal, an opposition leader, praised the ruling and urged Zardari to nominate a new prime minister.
"Gilani stands disqualified," he said. "Now the president should convene the session of the parliament to elect a new prime minister."
The Zardari government has failed to make any headway in tackling any of the nuclear-armed nation's many problems, including near economic collapse and its own struggle against Islamist militants behind attacks that have left many thousands dead over the last five years.