Supreme Court of Pakistan debarred Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raja Gilani from Office

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 19 June 2012, debarred Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raja Gilani from his office. The court's ruling also disqualified Gilani as the member of the National Assembly, the lower house of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament). Gilani was convicted for violating the article 63(1) (g) (contempt of court) of the constitution of Pakistan on 26 April 2012 by the Supreme Court. The court’s verdict came following Gilani’s refusal to probe cases of corruption against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari.

The three-judge Bench of the apex Pakistani court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry held Gilani, Pakistan's longest serving Prime Minister, ineligible for the post since 26 April 2012 when the court awarded him a symbolic 30-second sentence for the contempt of court. The court also instructed the President to take necessary measures under the Constitution to ensure continuation of the democratic process through the parliamentary system of government.

Earlier the Speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly, Fehmida Mirza had ruled that Gilani can't be disqualified as the PM of the country as the conviction for the contempt of court awarded to him does not merit Disqualification.

Born on 9 June 1952, Yusuf Raja Gilani, had been the member of Pakistan's National Assembly from Multan-IV constituency since 1988. In 2008 general elections he led Pakistan People Party (PPP) to a victory, to took over as the 16th Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

What was the case?

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had instructed the Prime Minster Yusuf Raja Gilani to ask Swiss authorities to reopen cases of multi-million dollar graft cases against the President Asif Ali Zardari, which the Prime Minister refused to follow, citing constitutional immunity enjoyed by the president as the reason.

Asif Ali Zardari was accused of laundering an estimated 12 million dollar, received as the kickback by the companies looking for customs inspection contracts, to his Swiss Bank account, when his wife Benazir Ali Bhutto was the Prime Minister of the country during 1990s.