Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi as a witness in contempt proceedings against Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and adjourned the high-profile case till March 7.
During the proceedings, Gilani's lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said the premier's defence was that he never intended to act in contempt of court.
Gilani was bound to act on advice from officials regarding the reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, Ahsan said.
"The Prime Minister should be granted a chance to provide a complete defence (of his actions)," Ahsan told the seven-judge bench led by Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.
The bench accepted Ahsan's application to call Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi as a witness.
In his application filed in the Supreme Court on Sunday, Ahsan said he intended to use several "summaries" or official documents sent to the Prime Minister to prove that Gilani had acted on advice from senior officials that the graft cases
against Zardari could not be reopened.
However, two other witnesses named in Ahsan's application - Law Secretary Masood Chishti and former Law Minister Babar Awan - have refused to appear in court.
The Supreme Court recently rejected Gilani's appeal and indicted him for contempt of court after he refused to act on orders to reopen cases of alleged money laundering against Zardari in Switzerland.
However, Gilani was not required to personally appear during Tuesday's hearing.
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