ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari signed into law on Thursday the Contempt of Court Bill, 2012, adopted by both houses of parliament.

Meanwhile, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has decided against going for a caretaker set-up even if Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is also removed, like his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani, by the Supreme Court under contempt charges.

Sources in the PPP said President Zardari discussed the situation with the heads of allied parties on telephone after the Supreme Court decision which gave the deadline of July 25 to Prime Minister Ashraf for writing a letter to Swiss authorities for reopening money laundering case against the president.

“The government will not go for announcing a caretaker set-up for the next general elections even if Prime Minister Ashraf is removed by the apex court,” a senior PPP leader said.

Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told Dawn that the situation was vague at the moment and it was not easy to comment on ‘ifs and buts’.

But he ruled out the possibility of early elections and a caretaker set-up. “We have so far not even thought about a caretaker set-up,” he said.

Responding to a question, he agreed that the PPP was holding consultations with heads of allied parties to chalk out a line of action in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.

The prime minister’s spokesman Fawad Chaudhry said the government would go for an appeal against Thursday’s judgment of the Supreme Court.

The sources said the ruling coalition had decided that the government would not write a letter to the Swiss authorities even if Prime Minister Ashraf was also removed like Mr Gilani.

A source quoted President Zardari as saying: “I have three more candidates for prime minister’s office if Raja Pervez Ashraf is removed.”

It is learnt that the coalition is hopeful that Prime Minister Ashraf will continue to serve as head of the government for another three or four months even if the contempt of court law which has been challenged in the Supreme Court is revoked.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q spokesman Kamil Ali Agha said his party believed that both the judiciary and the government should exercise restraint.

Otherwise, the whole system will be derailed.

He said the government did not intend to go for a caretaker set-up even if the prime minister had to leave his office.

The new contempt law which came into effect with the assent of the president exempts the prime minister and parliamentarians from proceedings on charges of contempt of court.

Although legal experts have differing opinions about the law, they believe it cannot be revoked before July 25 when the apex court can take action against the prime minister for not obeying its order.

“I think it will not be so easy for the court to revoke the new law in 13 days,” Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood said.

He said the law was likely to continue to exist till July 25 and in that case it would be difficult for the apex court to remove Prime Minister Ashraf.

Justice Tariq said the court had powers to strike down the law as had happened in the Hasba Bill case.

“But in this case the PPP will make a hue and cry and may come to the streets to protest against this move of the court,” he said.

Senior lawyer Hamid Khan said the court would take some time to ascertain whether the new law was in line with the Constitution.