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ISLAMABAD, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan's increasingly powerful Supreme Court has given Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf more time to re-open a corruption case against the president, easing tension at least temporarily between the judiciary and the government.
Ashraf, who could be charged with contempt of court or face disqualification if he does not comply, has until Sept. 25 to submit a draft of a letter to Swiss authorities asking them to reopen a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
In an apparent concession, Ashraf told the court he would tell the law minister to withdraw a previous request to Swiss authorities to freeze corruption investigations of Zardari.
It is not clear whether that will lead to a re-opening of an inquest.
The case has fuelled tension in a long-running standoff between the judiciary and the government in a country where political tension often distracts leaders from tackling wide-ranging problems - from power cuts to a Taliban insurgency.
Supreme Court Judge Asif Saee d Khosa said Ashraf was "exempt" from taking action until Sept. 25.
Ashraf's predecessor, Yusuf Raza Gilani, was declared in contempt of court in June over the same issue and disqualified from holding the post of prime minister.
Zardari, the widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, is a co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which leads the ruling coalition.
Both Ashraf and his predecessor, Gilani, are senior members of the party and are thus reluctant to take steps to reopening a graft investigation involving their party leader and president.
If Ashraf is disqualified, the PPP can nominate a new prime minister since it has a comfortable majority in parliament.
But any prolonged political instability would further distract an unpopular government which has failed to tackle a wide range of issues, from a Taliban insurgency to crippling power cuts.
Thousands of corruption cases were thrown out in 2007 by an amnesty law passed under former military president Pervez Musharraf, paving the way for a return to civilian rule.
Two years later, the Supreme Court ruled that agreement illegal, and ordered the reopening of money laundering cases against Zardari that involved Swiss bank accounts.
The government has refused to obey the court's order to contact Swiss authorities to reopen the cases, arguing Zardari had immunity as the head of state.
The PPP will be hoping to hold on to power in the next general election, due next year.
(Reporting by Aisha Chowdhry; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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