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Aamir Qureshi / AFP - Getty Images, file
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (center) is escorted by security as he waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad on April 26.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was disqualified by the country's top court and declared ineligible to hold office Tuesday.
On April 26, judges convicted Gilani in contempt of court proceedings for refusing to open a corruption probe against President Asif Ali Zardari. The court said Tuesday that Gilani should not have held office since that verdict was announced.
The April ruling was previously questioned by the speaker of the National Assembly, who decided that the court order did not cast any doubt on the premier's right to hold office.
Anjum Naveed / AP
Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
But the speaker's decision was struck down Tuesday by a bench of judges headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry.
After his contempt of court conviction in April, Prime Minister Gilani had 30 days within which he could file an appeal. He failed to do so, arguing that the President enjoyed immunity from prosecution -- but his failure to file an appeal rendered the earlier conviction final, and disqualifed him from office.
Gilani had the opportunity to challenge the conviction legally, but chose instead to stand on principle.
"Since no appeal was filed (against the April 26 conviction) ... therefore Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani stands disqualifed as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament)," Chaudhry said in a packed courtroom, according to Reuters.
"He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan ... the office of the prime minister stands vacant," the judge added.
Gilani's lawyer, Fawad Chaudhry, told The Associated Press that only parliament could dismiss the prime minister.
The Supreme Court ruling came in response to petitions filed against Gilani for not standing down after the conviction.
Emergency meetings
In their written order Tuesday, judges reminded Zardari that he is "required to take necessary steps under the Constitution to ensure continuation of the democratic process."
Senior leaders of Gilani's party -- the PPP (Pakistan People's Party) -- were reportedly in emergency meetings Tuesday. The party does enjoy a majority in parliament to elect their chosen successor.
The civilian government has been lurching from crisis to crisis for the majority of the last year, in what many saw as a power struggle between the powerful army, judiciary, and government.
Tuesday's action is likely to throw the government into further turmoil, as they struggle to become the first civilian government to complete a full five-year term before the scheduled elections in February 2013. The instability could lead to early elections being called.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Pakistani leaders are so consumed with keeping their government stable and remaining in power, they're unable to devote the necessary attention nor make any bold decisions to re-engage with the U.S. and get the alliance back on track.
The overland NATO supply lines which run through Pakistan have been closed since November, shuttered in protest about a U.S. cross-border strike in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.
A U.S. team recently spent weeks in Pakistan, negotiating new rates to re-open those supply lines, but left without any resolution.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Will the next eligible corrupt a-hole step forward and fill this spot...please?? Like anyone gives a phuck who is in power in Pakistan.......all Cobras.
we are begging them with offers of hundreds of million U.S. dollars; to open up the truck routes into Afghanistan, so we may supply our troops; they have the only overland supply route into Afghanistan, the truck drivers are being paid several thousand per 3 day trips; if it is not opened soon, shortages , mostly to civilian contractors (which outnumber troops), will soon occur; we have no real policy in the middle east, it is all crisis management.
Democracy in action in Pakistan, a nation invented by the British and kept in map by the US.
Don't worry!
Pakis have many faces like Saudis. So there will be equally good candidates, who can snatch economic aid and pocket most!
Pakistan is a failed nation, that should have its nuclear stockpile seized. Of course, that is exactly the last thing that failed (or any failed) nation would want. Look at North Korea.
There is the Northern Supply Network which is longer and more costly, but it prevents the Pakkis from blackmailing NATO with a stranglehold.
Animals, that is what they are with no regard for human life. Who gives a damn who fills the position. The U.S. needs to stop giving aid and especially "military aid" to that screwed up country, Pakistan, oh heck quit giving aid to the middle east!! Those people hate the U.S. and laugh their ass off all the way to the bank.
Paki Islamic heroin addicts have been special class since 47.
They have been only busy with stealing, kidnapping, raping, looting, killing and genocides of infidels. Declare one infidel and loot bare and eliminate.
When this business became slow, the US came handy. After all US considered Pakis "strategic" and "important" ally in the region!
Business was good till that Osama was found!
It did not matter much if half of NATO troop deaths were due to ally on "war on terror."
Now Pakis have to get new faces for business with US as usual. Most are experts in Ramadan style soap operas!
Dont u guys still get it.... why do we give aid to pakistan even after all what they did to us. its because their rulers are still doing our bidding, causing chaos so we can stay in afghanistan for longer. jsut so our defence industries can earn enough money by spilling our blood...
What a train wreck. Does anyone, except obama, support continuing to dump billions of American dollars in to this hell hole?
Ha! Do you think that will change with Romney?
Yes, Mitt Romney does.
A leader in Pakistan standing on principle, that's a good one!!
No matter we will continue to throw money at them even tho the American people want ties cut to the Pakis, they are bleeding us while lining their pockets.
You would think NBC would at least spell the headline correctly......
You guys are such ignorant, biased, dummies.
The only reason why we are still holding up the crappy government in Pakistan is that they have nuclear weapons. It is the same reason why we put up with so much crap from the North Koreans too. Why do you think Iran wants to acquire nuclear weapons? So that we won't bully them as we like to bully the rest of the world's smaller nations.
We kicked Iraq under Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, but we did nothing about China taking over Tibet. Why was that? Because we like to prove our macho image bullying small countries - but never the biggies or those who own nuclear weapons.
What about you?
Pakistan is different from the countries you mentioned.
Pakistan will witness bloody civil wars. Even now many militants sects and factions are fighting each other.
It is only matter of time before nuclear weapons fall into militants hands!
Even nuke technologies were stolen and are on sale.
Such people of the dirtiest Islamic swamps even with nukes can't do much except bragging!
Against India, that brave nation lost all wars and had the highest number (90000) soldiers surrendering and created a record!
Chitta:
The only real reason The US Government is supporting Pakistan, is because that is the only back open doorway to Afghanistan, getting arms thru to US Military. We have had to pander to Pakistan for the last 11 years because of this ongoing, useless War.
How much money has the US given to Pakistan for nothing---Not only does Pakistan have Nuclear Weapons, but so do many other Countries, China, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba?, etc.
Once the open door is shut, there is no way to help out Karzai and his Corrupt Government who detests the US, and it's Military. Afghanistan. Total waste of lives, and US Taxpayers dollars.
Even Pakistan's court knows how to get rid of an ineligible leader. How come ours doesn't?
Our motto should be: "USA, yeah we're messed up, but not nearly as badly as the rest of the planet."
I can't for the life of me figure out why we're too dumb to throw in with India and help them remove Pakistan from the face of the panet.
India is the stablest country in the region and most level headed. They dont want a nuclear war with Pakistan who has nothing to loose. They think about their people before going to war.
India is ready for just that. they'll take a pre-emptive strike--and since they've done the math--obliterate Pakistan. It is what keeps Karachi in check to some degree. But if we'd just leave this cesspool, the outcome will be more humane.
Foreign aid is nothing more than taking from the poor in this country and giving to the rich in that foreign country. Ron Paul quote.
Ron Paul has it half-right; it is also taking from the poor in this country to give to the rich in this country.
The day we stop manipulating countries to acheive our agendas there would be a lot less corruption in the world. There are people for sale everywhere even right here in the US. Look at our congress. So when the immoral and charcterless rulers in countries like Pakistan are acting out for more doe that we have been showering on them to bomb the hell out of their country we act surprised. If we want a safer world we need to promote education and better economics in these places. It is a fact as Obama put it beautifully," they cling to their guns and their religion". Lets stop helping corrupt rulers gain power and stay in power. These are the same people who exploit religion and discontent to fuel hatred. The road to democracy is sometimes choppy and sometimes unpredictable, but I can tell you with conviction that apart from a handful of haters, all everyone wants is to live their lives in peace and dignity.
Great lecture for others to follow or fool!
Democracy, education, peace and dignity are not written in Islamic right to left dictionary!
got to love it rule by whim not by law I wish that whole craphole part of the world would just drop off the map
"Top Pakistan court disqualifies prime minster from office"
Minster? You should be disqualified from writing news. Learn to spell first.
I wish that all that money given to them would not go there because we need all of it here for education health and our roads that are falling apart and we simply don't have the monies to pay for all of those and we should.
stop giving US dollars to this corrupt bunch and get out of this region.
Camel Court.
Elsewwhere in the news, Baboo Momar Me-Gots-Your-Money, former Pakistani PM, opened a new Cigarette Shop at the Trail Town strip mall on the outskirts of Detroit.....
funny, sad and true
Best solution that I can think of for Pakistan is to contract with Russian companies to supply us through the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan. You'd have the Russians making far fewer groans about how we deal with the war in Afghanistan and we wouldn't be constantly begging the back biting Paki's for forgiveness every time an insurgent runs across the boarder to try and escape justice.
If Pakistan continues to blockade the US should blockade the port to Pakistan.
Syria, Egypt, Pakistan....the entire Middle East as for centuries continues in turmoil. So let them settle their own matters; and perhaps they'll just wither on the vine.
And yet we continue to 'buy' our overseas 'friends' with lots of foreign aid. Which they don't appreciate and want even more........will we ever learn.
See the fallowing links for Indian killing of its own citizens , Check the real facts below
Sudra Holocaust: Genocide of 1 million Dalits in India
since 1947: About three million Dalit women have been raped and around one
million Dalits killed from the time of Independence. This is 25 times more than
number of soldiers killed during the wars fought after independence. That is
why Dalits do not need Aryan culture or Hindu Dharma based on caste any more.
…” [Dr. Tulsiram]
Arya-Brahmins
rodents (BBC)
killed before or after birth per year
Why don't you give details Islamic killings and genocides from the birth of Islamic cult?
Before the followers of Islamic cult set its foot in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh regions, those regions were very peaceful.
It is typical of Islamic religious Nazis to give a portion of picture and then give spins/lies on them!
Is there any place which you people have left from your rapings, lootings, kidnappings, stealing, killings and genocide pograms?
Salamalaikum Hayat, How is everything in Waziristan? Did you kill anyone today? Or learned the normal India bashing? Or was it US bashing in the madrassa?
Say my hi to Osa.. oh wait, he is dead. Yeah, happy drone-spotting! <> Boom <>
What a dysfunctional country
What a dirtiest swamp of mad Islamic religious Nazis on earth!
Pakis have become most dangerous international liabilities and curses on earth!