Pakistan Court Strikes Down Contempt Law

The law aimed at saving prime minister from possible disqualification for refusing to reopen corruption cases.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday struck down the government's new contempt law, aimed to prevent the premier from being pressured to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, setting the stage for the possible disqualification of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.

A five-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ruled that the Contempt of Court Act of 2012 was "unconstitutional" and struck it down.