The Prime Minster of Pakistan remains in power but is facing fresh calls to resign after the Supreme Court convicted him of contempt, after he refused to reopen an old corruption case against its President.

Crowds gathered outside the courtroom, alongside riot police to see Yousuf Raza Gilani - the longest serving Prime Minister in the history of Pakistan – inside and await the verdict.

In a bizarre turn of events Mr Gilani was spared jail. In fact, the court handed down something of a symbolic sentence: detention within the courtroom for a mere 3 minutes before he was released. That, many say now, was to prevent any uprisings and political instability in the country.

The case in question was a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari and his late wife (and former Prime Minister) Benazir Bhutto. In 2003, they were convicted over using Swiss bank accounts to launder bribe money. The case was dropped five years later, and Zardari has always maintained that the charges against him and his wife were politically motivated.

Prime Minister Gilani could still face dismissal from office in the weeks or months ahead. His lawyer said he would appeal the verdict.