Gilani convicted of contempt

Pakistan's top court has convicted Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of contempt of court.

The country's Supreme Court found Prime Minister Gilani guilty of ignoring court orders to write to Swiss authorities to ask them to re-open corruption cases against the president, Asif Ali Zardari.

"For reasons to be recorded later, the prime minister is found guilty of contempt for willfully flouting the direction of the Supreme Court," Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk said.

Gilani, who like Zardari, belongs to the Pakistan People's Party, received a symbolic sentence, which required him to be held in the courtroom until the judges left, which they did shortly after the sentence was read out.

While he avoided a maximum sentence of six months in jail, the conviction could see Gilani ruled ineligible to hold public office.

Many observers regard the case a being part of a political battle between Pakistan's civilian government and the military. They argue that the military's aim was to use the case to keep the government on the defensive.

pfd/acb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)