Tribune take: Government forcing the Supreme Court's hand

Federal government left the court little choice by not taking one of the six options laid out last week.

In today’s episode of the Tribune Take, we look at the contempt of court notice issued to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Gilani has also offered to step down in the wake of the worsening political situation in the country.

Faisal Shakeel, The Express Tribune's reporter in Islamabad, says the government left the court little choice by not taking one of the six options laid out last week, thus forcing them to hold Gilani in contempt.

Shakeel says that there is a fair chance that the court will convict Gilani and hold him in contempt for not implementing the NRO verdict. Once convicted, the prime minister has to resign because a conviction bars a person from parliament, and without being a parliamentarian, Gilani cannot be prime minister.

Read Faisal Shakeel’s articles here.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.