MULTAN, July 5: Former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has reiterated that he will prefer to be arrested instead of seeking immunity from the Supreme Court.

The former prime minister said this while addressing lawyers at High Court Bar Association here on Friday on the eve of the black day announced by the PPP against overthrowing of its government on July 5, 1977.

Mr Gilani said that he had neither asked the immunity for the president nor would he ask for himself as the Constitution had given him the immunity.

He said that there was no need to seek immunity as even a blind person could understand that the Constitution had given immunity to the president and the prime minister.

“Mr chief justice follow the Constitution as it provides me immunity and I will not seek it from you. If you are daring enough then arrest me. I will prefer to be arrested instead of obeying any unconstitutional orders,” he said.

He said the judiciary had accepted Gen Musharraf in uniform and granted him the powers that he had even not asked for.

He said that Gen Musharraf was even given the power to amend the Constitution. “Who had allowed you to give such authorities to a man in uniform,” he asked.

The former prime minister said that Gen Mursharraf should be tried for toppling an elected government in 1999.

He said they had no sympathy for Gen Musharraf and he should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution, but the Article 6 should also be applied against the judges who disqualified an elected prime minister.

He said that provincial assemblies and parliament had passed resolutions in his favour while the decision of the National Assembly speaker was also in his favour.

The former prime minister said the Supreme Court had asked his successor through the attorney general to find a middle path to resolve the issue when the international community showed resentment against his (Gilani’s) removal.

“If every act of mine (as prime minister) was unconstitutional and illegal then I had also appointed the army, naval and air chiefs, and ISI director- general. If anyone is courageous enough then he should come forward to prove these appointments illegal as well,” he said.

He said the Supreme Court should also issue direction to the FIA to investigate the Asghar Khan case.

He said even the son of the chief justice did not follow the instructions of the FIA.