ISALAMABAD, Pakistan. - On Friday the Pakistani Supreme Court gave the nation's new Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf until July 25 to reopen the corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The court has given Ashraf two weeks to five the apex juduciary body the green light in its pursuit, failure to so might cause him the same fate of former Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Giliani, who was disqualified last month because he refused to permit an investigation into the president's corruption charges.
Corruptions charges against the president dates back to the 1990s when then Prime Minister the late Benazir Bhutto, Zardari's wife, was suspected of money laundering and bribery. President Zardari denies all accusations claiming that they are politically motivated.
Political analyst Najam Sethi told the New York Times, "The court has been gunning for the prime minister for a long time...Clearly there is a lot of politics in this." The court's recent crack-down on various high-profile government officials has only deepened the animosity between the two institutions, trying to assert power on the other.The court has been aggressive in its pursuit and is showing no signs of backing down.
Ashraf was nominated by the President after Giliani was suspended in June. Political analysts suggest that since Ashraf is also a Zardari ally, he is likely to make the same decision and thus maybe suffer the same fate. Ashraf, himself is not clean from controversy and accusations. He has been accused of various corruption charges and the severe power-shortage in Punjab which has caused a series of riots.
