Pakistan faces a long and debilitating legal battle at the very heart of its leadership. Just when the country faces serious economic and security challenges, its leaders will be fighting in the courts over their own fate.
Pakistan's Supreme Court has charged the Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, with contempt of court as the prime minister has refused to reopen corruption charges against the president, Asif Ali Zardari. Gilani argues that as head of state, Zardari has immunity.
The dispute goes back to corruption charges that were brought against Zardari before he won the election to be president. These cases were dropped under a sweeping amnesty that the former military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, passed in 2007 when he was in power. Ironically, Zardari benefited from Musharraf's amnesty, but in 2009 the Supreme Court annulled the 2007 amnesty.
Gilani has been refreshingly straight about the case and has bluntly said that if convicted he will have to resign as prime minister and as a member of parliament.
He also sees it as his duty to defend the leader of his party against these charges, but the danger is that this legal fight will distract Pakistan's leadership from their larger responsibilities to the country.
