Mr Nice Guy and Mr Ten Percent

摘要

April 26th was not one of Yousaf Raza Gilani's better days. The Pakistani prime minister was convicted of contempt of court by the Supreme Court. And his son, Ali Musa Gilani, a member of parliament, was questioned by the anti-narcotics force over a scandal involving the production of the drug Ecstasy. Mr Gilani senior likes to paint his troubles as a struggle to save democracy. "What have 1 done?" he asked in a combative speech to parliament after his conviction. "I have protected the constitution. I won't let myself be removed and the whole [democratic] system packed up." He insists that only parliament can oust him as prime minister, and that the constitution grants immunity to the president. (Mr Gilani was convicted for refusing to ask Swiss authorities to reopen dormant money-laundering cases against the president, Asif Ali Zardari.)