Gilani safe for six months?

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Even if all legal resources to save Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani are exhausted, it will still take over 6 months to remove him from the office, legal experts said.

Mr Gilani was convicted on Thursday by the Supreme Court for failing to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari according to the directions of the court.

Some law experts say he is automatically disqualified as PM as a convicted person cannot be the Chief Executive of the country. Others opine he can only be removed through a legal procedure. “The PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) wants to use all the legal resources to save the PM,” a senior PPP leader told this newspaper.

“We had already decided that the PM will not resign even if he is convicted and even if he is jailed,” the PPP leader added.

As per advice of the legal aides, the Prime Minister’s lawyer will file an appeal in the Supreme Court against his conviction.

“In case the court upholds its earlier verdict, the PM’s lawyer will then contest the point that six-month or below sentence does not lead to disqualification under Article 63-(1) (h) of the Constitution,” said a lawyer.

‘PM not convicted according to charges’

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said on Thursday that the Supreme Court has not convicted Mr Gilani according to the charges against him.

Mr Ahsan said the Supreme Court charged Mr Gilani for scandalising the court which was not in the charges framed against him.