News
Thursday, January 19, 2012
PM not guilty of contempt: Aitzaz
ISLAMABAD: Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday said that President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys complete immunity in Pakistan as well as abroad from being prosecuted under any kind of criminal proceedings. Talking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court, the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association said that as long as Asif Ali “Zardari holds the presidential office, he enjoys complete immunity under Article 248(2) of the constitution”. He said the immunity was notified and guaranteed by the constitution. “The presidential immunity has been accepted by the accountability courts,” he added. To a query about writing a letter to Swiss authorities, he opined that it was of no use, as the president also enjoys immunity under the Vienna Convention. He elaborated that under the Vienna Convention, the president of any country has the immunity as long as he remains in his office. Meanwhile, AFP reported that Aitzaz Ahsan made it clear that PM Gilani should write to Switzerland about reopening graft cases against the president to avoid being charged with contempt and kicked out of office. He said there was no harm in writing a letter to the Swiss authorities, as President Zardari enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad as long as he is in office. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk