Pakistan’s beleaguered Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Sunday he will resign if convicted by the Supreme Court, where he is due to appear Monday to face contempt charges over his refusal to reopen corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Addressing the Pakistan People’s Party core committee, Mr Gilani said he was prepared to “sacrifice his office” if convicted. He said he had spent many years behind bars and he was “not afraid of jails”.
In an interview to Al Jazeera, Mr Gilani had pointed out that conviction would automatically disqualify him as a member of Parliament. “Certainly, there is no need to step down. If convicted, then I’m not even supposed to be a member of Parliament,” Mr Gilani told the TV channel. If convicted, he could be imprisoned for upto six months.