ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Tuesday welcomed judgment of the Supreme Court disqualifying Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister.

The PTI was one of the petitioners in the case.

“We took decision to approach the apex court because after Yousuf Raza Gilani had been held in contempt, Speaker National Assembly had no authority to question the verdict. Her role was simply to transmit the superior court decision to the Election Commission, which she refused. This created a situation of constitutional deadlock and it was necessary for the Supreme Court to adjudicate upon it,” said the PTI chief.

Khan described apex court’s judgment as “historic because it has demarcated limits of judicial and parliamentary authority. It will set a precedent that once superior judiciary has convicted someone, no non judicial forum can hold otherwise. The obvious implication is that once a conviction from a court of law has attained finality, disqualification from membership of a legislature would be automatic.”

The PTI chief further said the verdict is a victory for rule of law, supremacy of Constitution and in final analysis for equity and justice. “PTI salutes the Supreme Court for demonstrating that before law everyone is equal whether a common man or a prime minister,” he added.