Pakistan back in docks_PM convicted of contempt to be jailed.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9x9rNu2o_0ISLAMABAD (AP) – The Supreme Court convicted Pakistan's prime minister of contempt on Thursday but spared him a prison term for refusing to reopen a corruption case against his boss, the president — a verdict that means the premier could limp on in office for months to come, possibly until elections. But the ruling against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will add to pressure on him to resign, including from members of his own party, and trigger continued political uncertainty, effectively crippling an administration that has shown little will to tackle the economic and security challenges facing the country.
Thursday's hearing had been widely anticipated by opponents of Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari, who were hoping the Supreme Court would sentence the prime minister to prison and order his immediate dismissal from office. That would have triggered a major political crisis, and could have benefited Gilani and Zardari electorally, making them martyrs in the eyes of their supporters. Gilani is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Pakistan, where civilian governments have repeatedly been toppled by the country's powerful military, often with the support of the Supreme Court, which critics allege is heavily politicized. Corruption charges have routinely been used to target those in power, or seeking to return....