Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry told government
lawyers they must fully implement a December court order striking down an
amnesty protecting President Asif Ali Zardari and hundreds of other officials
from prosecution on long-shelved graft cases.
"There should not be any argument," he told a
hearing at the Supreme Court. "We are insisting that this judgment be
implemented in letter and sprit."
The government has been accused of dragging its feet
since the order was issued because it means exposing the president and several
of his political allies to possible corruption charges. Zardari's supporters
insist he is innocent against what they say were politically motivated charges.
They also maintain he has immunity as president,
something most independent analysts agree the constitution is clear about. But
Zardari, who spent at least eight years in prison on unproved corruption
charges, appears to be unwilling to test this in court, fearing perhaps
Chaudhry might rule otherwise.
The case against Zardari is further complicated by the
fact that it concerns conviction in a Geneva court in 2003 of laundering
millions of Swiss francs. Authorities there dropped the case in 2008 after the
Pakistani government, acting on the amnesty, asked them to.
The court is demanding Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani
write to Swiss authorities to reopen the case. He is refusing to do this,
raising the prospect he could be held in contempt of court.
Chaudhry agreed to a request by the lawyers for an
adjournment, telling them they must return to the court on Oct. 13 with an
explanation of what they have done to implement the order. He mentioned the
Swiss case by name, as he has done on several occasions before.
The run-up to Monday's hearing followed weeks of
criticism against the government for its handling of this summer's floods. The
army, which has ruled Pakistan for much of its 57 years, has been praised for
its response to the disaster, something some commentators have said means it is
better suited to ruling the nation - although the previous military-led
government fell in 2008 after protracted protests against it.
Both issues have triggered fresh speculation, mostly in
media outlets hostile to Zardari, that he and/or the 2 1/2 year-old coalition
government headed by his party may be on its way out. Only one other
democratically elected government in Pakistan's history has lasted a full five
years in office.
"Those people talking about such things will be
disappointed," Gilani said Monday in response to a question. "The
government will stay and complete its five years."
