Contempt petition filed against Zardari in Pak court

Lahore: A contempt petition has been filed against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for continuing to hold the political office of head of the ruling PPP in violation of a court's order.

Lawyer Muhammad Azhar Siddique said in his petition filed in the Lahore High Court on Saturday that Zardari had not disassociated himself from the political office as soon as possible, as expected in a decision given by the High Court on the President's dual offices in May last year.

Siddique said the directions issued by the High Court had not been obeyed and the President had not stopped "misusing" the premises of the presidency for the purpose of his party.

A lawyer asked the court to issue the President a show cause notice and charge him for contempt of court.

He alleged the President had called National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza and greeted her for giving a ruling in favour of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani after the Premier was convicted for contempt by the Supreme Court.

He claimed this action said a lot and confirmed the bias of the leader of a political party.

The PPP is adamant about not obeying the orders of the courts of Pakistan and this could be gathered from the public statements of the Prime Minister, Siddique claimed.

He pleaded that the use of the presidency for partisan political activity by Zardari was not only illegal but amounted to contempt of the order of the High Court dated May 12, 2011.

Siddique asked the court to issue the President a show cause notice and charge him for contempt of court.

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