The Supreme Court Monday charged Pakistan's prime minister with contempt for defying its order to reopen an old corruption case against the president, sharpening a political crisis that has shaken this already volatile country. At a separate hearing, the top court also took on the country's powerful army, demanding that two military intelligence agencies explain why they held seven suspected militants for 18 months in allegedly harsh conditions without charging them. Reading out the charge sheet, Judge Nasirul Mulk said Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani had “willfully flouted, disregarded and disobeyed” orders from the Supreme Court over reopening alleged laundered money cases. “Do you plead guilty?” asked Mulk. “No,” Gilani replied, adding that he would respond further in writing. The court ordered the attorney general to prosecute the case, giving him until Thursday to file documents, which the court will examine on Feb. 22, and the defense until Feb. 27 to file documents and a list of witnesses. If convicted, the prime minister could be imprisoned and will likely lose his job. But analysts said the premier seems willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of his party and President Asif Ali Zardari. The case against Zardari relates to kickbacks he and his late wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when Bhutto was in power in the 1990s. They were found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003. Analysts said Gilani seems unlikely to bend to the court's demands and will likely be convicted and lose his job. The National Assembly would then vote for a new prime minister, but the process could drag on for months. Most legal experts think the president would be in no immediate danger even if Gilani did ask Swiss authorities to reopen the case. Meanwhile, the court ordered the country's most powerful spy service, the ISI, to produce seven suspected militants before the judges. The suspects have been held by the ISI and another military intelligence agency without charges since 2010.
