Pakistan PM Gilani to quit if SC rules against him

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is believed to have made up his mind to step down if the Supreme Court comes up with an "unfavourable decision" in the contempt case against him.

Gilani is under immense pressure to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, and his failure to do so till now has led to contempt proceedings against him in the country’s top court.

The PM reportedly made the decision after consulting the leadership of the Pakistan People's Party and its allies in the ruling coalition.

The PPP leadership decided that Gilani would tender his resignation before the Supreme Court in person if he faced any "situation" in the contempt case.

The PM will tell the court about the government's constitutional stance on the issue of presidential immunity.

The Supreme Court resumes hearing on the case today. On Monday, the contempt proceedings against PM Gilani were adjourned as his counsel Aitzaz Ahsan was unwell.

A seven-judge bench headed by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk is hearing the contempt of court case against Gilani for failing to act on the apex court's earlier orders to reopen graft cases against President Zardari in Switzerland.

The apex court has been pushing the PPP-led government to revive the cases against Zardari since December 2009, when it annulled the National Reconciliation Ordinance, a graft amnesty issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The government has refused to act, saying the Constitution gives the President immunity in Pakistan and abroad. Gilani has said he would prefer to be jailed in a contempt case launched against him by the apex court for not reopening the graft cases.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani admits Pak cannot afford war over Kashmir

 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday acknowledged that the Kashmir issue would have to be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy as Pakistan "cannot afford wars" in the 21st century.

Four wars have already been fought on the Kashmir issue and the region still "was a flashpoint", but in the 21st century "we cannot afford wars", Gilani said.

"We want to resolve issues through dialogue, diplomacy, prudent policy and national consensus," he said while addressing a convention at the Prime Minister's Secretariat to mark 'Kashmir Solidarity Day'.

Gilani said the Kashmir issue remained the cornerstone of the country's foreign policy.

"We are committed to continue with the moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris. The whole nation, including all the political parties, is united on the cause of Kashmir," he said.

Since Pakistan is a responsible country and a responsible nuclear power, it has to make responsible policies, Gilani said.

Pakistan's policies should be made through national consensus and by the chosen representatives of the people, and not by individuals, he said.

The Kashmir policy had been the focus of the Pakistan People's Party-led government in line with the vision of the party's founder, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he said.

Rallies were held across Pakistan to mark 'Kashmir Solidarity Day', which is a public holiday.

The day has been observed by Pakistan since 1990 to highlight the Kashmir issue. During the rallies, Pakistanis pledged to continue supporting the Kashmiris for what they claimed was their "right to self-determination".

Special prayers were offered at mosques and hundreds of people formed a human chain in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Banners calling for Kashmir's freedom were put up along roads in cities and towns across Pakistan.

Citing the policy of Pakistan-China friendship, Gilani told the convention at the PM's Secretariat that the whole country was united on this policy.

As in the case of Pakistan's policy on China, there was no difference of opinion on the Kashmir cause, he claimed. Gilani noted that there were question marks about Pakistan's policy on Afghanistan as it was made by a dictator who wore the four hats of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the Army chief, the president and the chief executive.

Despite his power, the dictator could not sustain pressure after a call from a US under secretary, he said. In contrast, the democratic government closed NATO supply lines, got the US to vacate Shamsi airbase and boycotted the Bonn Conference on Afghanistan after NATO attack on Pakistani border posts in November last year, he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a special message, reiterated Pakistan’s "fullest moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris".

In a separate message, Gilani said "a peaceful settlement of the dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people is a must to ensure peace and prosperity in the region".

This will be first meeting between Gilani and Kayani today

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will come face-to-face for the first time since they crossed swords over the memo issue, when a Cabinet Committee meets on Saturday to discuss crucial issues related to national security and relations with the US.

The government has convened a meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, Pakistan's highest decision-making body for security matters, at the Prime Minister's House on Saturday afternoon, officials said.

Kayani is among those who will attend the meeting, the officials said.

This will be the first meeting between Gilani and Kayani since a testy exchange between the civilian government and the military earlier this week.

On Monday, Prime Minister Gilani said during an interview that the Army and Inter-Services Intelligence chief had acted in an "unconstitutional and illegal" manner while submitting affidavits to the Supreme Court on the alleged memo that had sought US help to stave off a possible coup in Pakistan after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May last year.

The military reacted to Gilani's remarks by saying that they could have "grievous consequences".

Kayani met with the Army's Corps Commanders and his Principal Staff Officers on Thursday to assess options for dealing with the political crisis.

Though the meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet has been convened to discuss the Parliamentary Committee on National Security's recommendations for resetting ties with the US and NATO, sources said that it could give the government and the military an opportunity to address their differences on the memo issue.

There are no indications so far that the Army will engineer another coup to remove the Pakistan People's Party or PPP-led government but analysts said the military may not be averse to any move by the Supreme Court to topple the government for either the memo issue or its failure to reopen high-profile graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

"There will be no martial law and all players will continue to function within their constitutional limits," an insider was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper about yesterday's deliberations between Kayani and his top commanders.

During the meeting, Kayani and his commanders reviewed various options for dealing with the standoff with the government and Gilani's decision to sack Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retired) Khalid Naeem Lodhi, a former corps commander who is considered to be very close to the Army chief.

Gilani has accused Lodhi of creating misunderstandings between the government and the military in his handling of matters related to the memo issue.