But PM Gilani is still adamant
Prime Minister Gilani has announced that he is in no case going to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen the cases against President Zardari. Keeping in view the twists and turns the party leadership has taken on the issue so far, it seems the decision had been taken long ago and what Gilani was trying to do in fact was to delay confronting the Supreme Court till at least the Senate elections were over. Now that the goal has been achieved the PPP thinks it can take any risk, including the sacrifice of its prime minister.
The issue has two aspects, political and legal. As Gilani put it on Friday, he would have quit politics rather than betray his party. Though he referred to facing two different legal punishments by choosing either of the courses available to him, and maintained that he was naturally opting for the option entailing minimum punishment, this was seen by many as more of a light hearted observation than anything else. The decision will be appreciated by the PPP as an unparalleled act of fidelity to the party. Contrarily, the stand would be condemned by its opponents as a glaring example of disregard for judiciary. Such is the pull of personal and political loyalties in Pakistani society that a prime minister of any other mainstream party would have most likely acted much the same way. It is hard to believe that Shabaz Sharif would have behaved differently if ordered to write a similar letter against party chairman Nawaz Sharif.
The decision has legal and social ramifications though. The interpretation of the constitution lies under the purview of the SC. If the SC orders the PM to write the letter, he is required under the constitution to do so even if he considers it a bad verdict. The apex court is currently hearing cases against other powerful institutions also. The refusal by the Chief Executive to abide by court’s decision would set a bad example.