Supreme Court of Pakistan to resume contempt case against Gilani

A seven-member bench of Supreme Court of Pakistan will resume on Today to hear the contempt of court case against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Gilani's counsel Aitzaz Ahsan submitted a reply in the apex court in the contempt case yesterday.

The counsel moved an application seeking the summoning of three witnesses as court witnesses in the interest of a fair trial.

Ahsan filed his application under various government rules read with sections of the Criminal Procedure Code for summoning of witnesses and documents.

He said the apex court should call former Law Minister Babar Awan, Law Secretary Masood Chishti and Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi to appear as the court's witnesses.

He also asked the court to obtain certified copies of certain documents that would be furnished as evidence in support of Gilani.

Ahsan said Gilani did not want to ask the former minister and the two secretaries to appear in court in his official capacity as this could be perceived as "exertion of undue influence".

The Supreme Court recently rejected Gilani's appeal and indicted him for contempt of court after he refused to act on orders to reopen cases of alleged money laundering against President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland.

However, Gilani is not required to personally appear during today's hearing.

Ahsan further said Gilani's defence rested mainly on official government proposals presented to him last year that contained the opinions of officials on the issue of reopening the cases against the President.

Referring to the production of witnesses by the prosecution, Ahsan said that it would have been fair to the defence if it had been given an opportunity to cross-examine these witnesses.

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

The government has refused to act, saying the President enjoys complete immunity from prosecution within Pakistan and abroad.

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".

Pakistan SC warned of action against PM Gilani

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is not an honest man as he had not lived up to his constitutional oath, Pakistan's Supreme Court said on Tuesday, as it warned of action against him for failing to act on an order to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Piling pressure on PPP-led beleaguered government, a five-judge bench, which had taken up the issue of implementing the apex court's verdict striking down a graft amnesty that benefited Zardari, said in its order that Gilani was not an "honourable man" as he had not lived up to his constitutional oath.

The premier had shown loyalty to his political party rather than the Constitution, the bench said.

"Prima facie, the Prime Minister is not an honest man and violated his oath," the bench said in its order.

The bench contended that the Pakistan People's Party-led government's refusal to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen cases of alleged money laundering against Zardari went against the Constitution and the Quran.

The bench listed six options for the government, including action against the premier for contempt of court and declaring Gilani ineligible to be a member of parliament for five years and referred the case to Chief Justice Iftikhar Gilani.

The bench recommended that the Chief Justice form a larger bench to hear the matter on January 16.

The bench asked Attorney General Anwar-ul-Haq to ascertain the government's views before the next hearing.

It also summoned the Attorney General, the Law Secretary and the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau.