Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has taken a novel stance against the Supreme Court on writing a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, saying that the action would be tantamount to treason under Article 6 of the constitution which could bring the death penalty.
“If I write a letter, it will be a violation of the constitution, which is treason, and which carries the death sentence,” Gilani said while addressing the fifth convocation of the Islamia University, Bahawalpur on Thursday. “If I don’t write, I will be convicted for contempt, the punishment for which is six months’ imprisonment,” he added.
Dramatising the situation, the PM asked the students in the auditorium what should he do in this situation. Some among the students replied that he should choose six months’ imprisonment. Gilani said he would deliver the students’ advice to the authorities concerned.
Last week, the Supreme Court had ordered Gilani to ask Switzerland to reopen corruption cases by March 21. On Wednesday, the information minister claimed that only the parliament had the power to withdraw immunity for the president.
Meanwhile, the lawyer who represented the Government of Pakistan in corruption cases against Zardari said the Swiss government would withdraw immunity for Zardari if Pakistan revokes the protection enjoyed by its president.
“If the Pakistani government abolishes the presidential immunity, the Swiss authorities will follow suit,” Macaulay Franklin said while talking to a private TV channel. He said the Pakistani government could write to the Swiss authorities seeking details about Zardari’s assets, but the Swiss government alone could not act due to the presidential immunity. He said if the funds from alleged Swiss accounts were moved somewhere else to affect the proceedings of the case, it would be considered another crime under the money laundering act.
The prime minister said that national institutions had been strengthened due to the “politics of reconciliation”. He said the independence of judiciary and the supremacy of the parliament were the “fruits of democracy”. Gilani said attempts for stopping Senate elections were made through “conspiracies” such as the memo scandal and the NRO case, but proved futile. About resuming NATO supply routes to Afghanistan, he said the parliament would decide the matter. Gilani said the people of Punjab wanted a new province, not an administrative unit. He said those who were talking about Bahawalpur province were sabotaging the efforts for Saraiki province. After the ceremony, the prime minister laid the foundation stone of Bahawalpur University College of Agriculture, and the Environmental Sciences block which would be completed at a cost of Rs 420 million.
PRISON BETTER THAN GALLOWS
