Pakistan PM stays defiant, refuses to step down
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stays defiant despite conviction of contempt by the Supreme Court saying he could not be forced out of the office.
Talking to reporters who accompanied him on a trip to London, Gilani said he had no yearning for the power but "will take it to the finality and exhaust avenues".
Gilani was speaking to journalists on the Supreme Court's order convicting him of contempt for not abiding by the court order to open graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The court issued a detailed order Tuesday saying Gilani faces the possibility of disqualification as a parliamentarian for five years following his conviction.
The court gave him a symbolic sentence of less than a minute after the April 26 judgment.
He said there was a constitutional process to remove prime minister from his office and "no one could force me out of office by unconstitutional means".
He rejected the opposition's calls for his resignation and said it was for the speaker of the National Assembly to decide on his disqualification. "Speaker can take up the matter of disqualification and it will finally go to the chief election commissioner."
The prime minister stressed that he reserved the right to appeal against the Supreme Court's judgment of convicting him.
Asked about not abiding by the court orders, Gilani said his decision of not re-opening graft cases against Zardari was absolutely constitutional and that the president enjoyed constitutional immunity. "I did only what I think was the right thing."
Meanwhile, Gilani Wednesday joined the dignitaries at the State Opening of Parliament, marking the commencement of the new session of the British House of Commons. The session was opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Head of State of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms.
Source: The Asia News.Net
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