Gilani rules out confrontation with judiciary

Islamabad: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday ruled out any confrontation between state institutions, in the wake of a Supreme Court verdict striking down as illegal appointment of a retired judge as head of Paksitan's anti-corrupton agency.

Chairing a cabinet meeting here, Gilani said the government was committed to democracy and constitutionalism and believed in the sovereignty of the parliament and independence of the judiciary.

"The cabinet has unanimously dispelled the impression that our government is in any mood of confrontation with any state institution," he said.

He said the government was functioning within the parameters defined by the country's constitution and "fully respects decisions of the superior judiciary".

He blamed unspecified quarters for creating an atmosphere of uncertainty by raising the possibility of institutional confrontation.

Only a day earlier, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, had launched a broadside against the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership over its protest strike in southern Sindh province last week against the verdict unseating National Accountability Bureau (NAB) head, retired justice Deedar Hussain Shah.

Legal requirement

On the heels of the verdict, President Asif Ali Zardari proposed reappointment of Shah to the same post and sent a letter to the opposition leader in the National Assembly for consultation to fulfil a requirement of the relevant law.

Nisar Ali Khan, who belongs to the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), lashed out at Zardari's move as an evidence of disregard for judiciary, blaming the president for the Sindh strike and for giving a "provincial colour' to the matter.

He said consultations could take place only after the announcement of a detailed judgment by the Supreme Court, which had annulled through a short order Shah's appointment made in October last year.