ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, in an interview broadcast on Saturday, said corruption charges against president Zardari were "politically motivated" and that the president had immunity as head of state.
In the wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera television, he also criticised US drone attacks on militants near the Afghan border as counterproductive and said Pakistan never authorised them.
Pakistan, he said, backed any Afghan-led peace plan to establish peace in the neighbouring country and in no way supported Taliban insurgents.
Gilani's statements were aired on the eve of a hearing at which the premier faces indictment for contempt of court over his refusal to request the reopening of corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
"There had been a lot of cases against him, and they were all politically motivated," Gilani said, referring to Zardari.
"He has got immunity. And he has not got immunity only in Pakistan; he has transnational immunity, even all over the world."
Asked if he would rather resign for the sake of the president, Gilani said if convicted of contempt, he would automatically lose office, so there was no need for him to quit.
"There's no need to step down," he said. "If I'm convicted, then I'm not supposed to be a member of the parliament."
"The Court is neither likely to trigger a collapse of the PPP government nor lead to military intervention," wrote Shamila Chaudhary in an analysis for Eurasia Group. "But the judiciary will remain a critical factor in local politics for the duration of the election cycle that ends in February 2013."
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