ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan's government and Supreme Court engaged in further legal wrangling Wednesday over reopening alleged graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The court had set a deadline of Wednesday, asking the government of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to write to Swiss authorities to reopen the cases against Zardari. However, the Ashraf government, standing firm, asked the court Tuesday to withdraw its order, Dawn newspaper reported.
Ashraf's predecessor, Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, was dismissed last month after he refused to obey a similar court order, citing Zardari's presidential immunity.
The government's response asked the court to recall its earlier orders, saying the prime minister cannot be asked "to implement an un-implementable direction given by the Supreme Court ...," Dawn reported.
The court had warned it could initiate any appropriate action under the Constitution if the government failed to comply with its orders, the report said.
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 Pakistani Supreme Court subsequently ruled against the constitutionality of an amnesty and been seeking to reopen the cases.
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 lead to early elections.
