Pakistani PM to appear in court as political crisis worsens

PAKISTAN’S Supreme Court ramped up pressure on the nation’s government yesterday, beginning contempt proceedings against the prime minister for failing to carry out its order to reopen a corruption case against the president.

The court ordered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to appear on Thursday to explain his refusal to reopen the graft investigation, injecting fresh uncertainty into the political crisis threatening to engulf the country. If the court convicts Gilani of contempt, he could serve up to six months in prison and be disqualified from holding office.

The government already is locked in a bitter conflict with the army, and the ruling boosted the sense that the administration could fall, squeezed between the court and Pakistan’s generals. The government is also grappling with an ailing economy and a Taliban insurgency.