Pakistani PM convicted

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister was today convicted for refusing to reopen a corruption investigation against the president.

The Supreme Court found Yousuf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt over his refusal to obey an order to write to the authorities in Switzerland to ask them to restart corruption cases against his ally President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani was given only a nominal sentence — ‘imprisonment’ for a few minutes until the court adjourned — but the conviction opens the way for proceedings to unseat him as an MP and thus remove him as premier.

His lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said the conviction did not automatically disqualify Gilani from office and confirmed he would launch an appeal.