Pakistan Court Threatens to Oust Prime Minister Again

Don't get too comfortable, Raja Pervez Ashraf. Pakistan's new prime minister may only be on the job for a matter of weeks, thanks to the ongoing showdown/constitutional crisis/farce between his party and the Supreme Court. The court today ordered Ashraf to reopen the long-festering corruption case against Asif Ali Zardari—the exact same order that Ashraf's predecessor got kicked out of office for refusing to obey, the Washington Post reports.

Ashraf has said he won't comply either."He could take some middle ground that is acceptable to the court," says one Islamabad lawyer. "But if that doesn't happen then I see a disaster in the coming days." The court is demanding that Ashraf respond to the order by July 12, offering any arguments he may have against complying. Analysts expect he'll be out of office not long after that. (More Pakistan People's Party stories.)