Islamabad:
The Pakistan government said Tuesday it had not yet been notified in writing of any arrest order against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf issued by the Supreme Court in connection with corruption allegations.
A cabinet minister said it would wait for official notification before deciding how to respond, but took issue with the "timing" as thousands of protesters led by a populist cleric are demanding the immediate dissolution of parliament.
"So far we have not received anything from the Supreme Court in writing. The government, the law ministry and the prime minister have not received any order from the Supreme Court," Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told private TV channel Geo.
"The timing of the decision should be noted. As far as I have been told, the prime minister's name is not mentioned in the Supreme Court order and hype has been created," he said.