Pakistan government teetering on the brink as leaders face court charges

He demanded a clear answer on whether the prime minister would write to Swiss
authorities where Mr Zardari is accused of laundering millions of dollars in
kickbacks when his late wife, Benazir Bhutto, was prime minister during the
1990s.

“We are ready to give you 10 minutes to talk to the prime minister on the
phone and let us know,” he told Mr Gilani’s lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan.

“I have no mandate to do that,” he replied.

Commentators believe the government will try to muddle on before calling
elections in the autumn.

“This would be very unfortunate for democracy but the government will not
collapse,” said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst. “The
ruling coalition is already preparing itself to pick a new prime minister.”

Later in the day it emerged that an American businessman will be allowed to
use a videolink to provide testimony to a commission investigating an
unsigned memo delivered to senior American officials.

Mansoor Ijaz claims the letter was written on behalf of senior Pakistani
figures who wanted US help to rein in the powerful military last May.

The case appeared to be unravelling after he refused to travel to Pakistan,
citing fears for his safety.

However, a commission member will now also travel to London to collect
evidence, including BlackBerries allegedly used to hatch the plot.

Evidence of a link to President Zardari or senior figures in his government
would pit the civilian leadership against a military which has seized power
three times in Pakistan’s history.

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