Pakistan premier faces contempt proceeding

Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to explain why he won't reopen an investigation of the president's finances in Switzerland. The court on Wednesday instructed Pervez to appear Aug. 27 to show cause why he shouldn't be held in contempt for failing to implement a directive to ask Swiss authorities to reopen its investigation of President Asif Ali Zardari's finances, Dawn reported. "We issue notice to Raja Pervez Ashraf under (the) contempt of court act 2003," read the order by the five-judge panel. The judges said it was unfortunate the prime minister failed to implement the court's directive, adding that the government had also failed to submit a report. The order was identical to one issued against the previous prime minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was fired June 19 by the court for failing to comply.