The Supreme Court ruled he had "ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan".
In April, the Supreme Court convicted Mr Gilani of failing to pursue corruption charges against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The legal case is part of a bitter feud between Pakistan's civilian government and the judiciary.
In April, Mr Gilani was given only a token sentence and spared a jail term.
Tuesday's court ruling disqualified him from office and from parliament.
"Since no appeal was filed [against the 26 April conviction]... therefore Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani stands disqualified as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora [parliament]," Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry told a packed courtroom.
He added: "He has also ceased to be the prime minister of Pakistan... the office of the prime minister stands vacant."
The court backdated the disqualification to 26 April, raising questions over decisions Mr Gilani has made in office since then - including the budget.
Amid the uncertainty, Pakistan's main stock market fell slightly by close of business on Tuesday.
It is not clear what next steps Mr Gilani may take - or whether his removal means the fall of the government.
Senior leaders of the governing Pakistan People's Party (PPP) are in emergency session with Mr Gilani and President Zardari, reports the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad.
A government official said President Zardari had also summoned heads of the PPP's coalition partners to the presidency for further talks.
The party has the necessary majority in parliament to elect a successor to Mr Gilani.
Source: BBC News
0 comments:
Post a Comment