Legal experts believe that the contempt of court case against the prime minister can end in two days or may take two years to get decided, as the prime minister gets ready to appear before the Supreme Court on February 13.
Presenting a possible scenario, Justice (r) Wajihuddin Ahmad told Pakistan Today that the PM’s lawyer could ask the court that immunity enjoyed by the chief executive of the country barred the court from proceeding in the contempt case.
He said it was possible that the PM’s lawyer confined himself only to the question of immunity enjoyed by the PM, without touching the president’s immunity at this juncture.
However, he believed that the apex court might reject the plea, as the government did not avail the option during the stipulated time. He said the proceedings could end in an hour or could stretch for more than a day.
On the question of disqualification of the PM in case he was found guilty in the contempt case, the senior jurist said the PM would immediately get disqualified under Article 63 (1) (g) of the constitution as the court order would be self-supporting and self-speaking.
“He will become disqualified on court’s declaration and the court would send copies of the order to the National Assembly speaker and the Election Commission for its compliance,” he added.
Commenting on the case, senior lawyer Anwar Mansoor said first of all the apex court would frame charges against the PM. “Then, the accused will have to produce evidence in support of his arguments that he didn’t disobey the court orders intentionally and after the arguments are over, the court will announce its decision whether it was satisfied with the position taken by the PM or not,” he opined, saying that the court could dispose of the case within two days or it might take two years, depending upon the circumstances.
PM contempt case can take 2 days or 2 years to settle: experts
