ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan's highest court gave Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf two more weeks to reopen alleged graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Wednesday's decision by the Supreme Court extended the deadline for complying with its order until Aug. 8, avoiding another legal confrontation with the government of Ashraf. The court's earlier deadline passed Wednesday.
Ashraf became prime minister last month after his predecessor, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, had to leave office after being convicted of contempt for failing to write to Swiss authorities to reopen the graft cases against Zardari. The government has maintained the cases cannot be reopened since Zardari enjoys presidential immunity.
In its latest decision, the high court asked Pakistani Attorney General Irfan Qadir to come up with a solution to end the standoff between the judiciary and the government, Pakistan's Daily Times reported. Qadir has said some of the earlier directions cannot be implemented and had requested the court to withdraw its order.
"We trust that the gap between the stated positions of two institutions is not impossible to bridge and we wish him (Qadir) well in his endeavor to resolve the pending issue," Justice Khosa said, the Times reported.
The cases against Zardari and his slain wife Benazir Bhutto date back several years and relate to millions of dollars in alleged kickbacks from Swiss firms. The case was later closed by Swiss judicial authorities.
The high court has been pressing the government to reopen the cases since 2009 after ruling against the constitutionality of a graft amnesty granted by former president Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
The court orders are the latest in the ongoing battle between the Zardari government and the judiciary. If Ashraf is also dismissed by the court, it could force early elections.
