Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared Thursday in the Supreme Court to defend charges of contempt of court in the latest development in a brewing political crisis, DPA reported.
Gilani waved at his supporters gathered outside the court when he arrived in his white sports utility vehicle, which he drove although it was surrounded by dozens of security vehicles as a military helicopter hovered overhead.
The court summoned Gilani after his government failed to obey its order to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen money-laundering cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, who is the head of the ruling Pakistan People's Party.
Gilani could lose his job if the court finds him guilty of contempt of court. Such a decision would push Pakistan into a deep political crisis at a time when its economy is faltering and it is battling Islamist militants.
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