Islamabad, Jul 1 (IANS): Pakistan's former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said he stepped down from the post because he respected the judiciary and is the only premier who has not left the country despite losing premiership.

Gilani was disqualified as the prime minister and member of the National Assembly on April 26 by the Supreme Court after it convicted him for contempt of court for refusing to write to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Addressing a seminar "The Conflicts of Institutions and Sustainability of Democracy", Gilani said Saturday that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) restored 1973 Constitution in its real form because it respected institutions, Daily Times reported.

He termed it a "victory" that the Pakistani parliament did not disqualify him following his conviction by the country's Supreme Court.

The former premier said that even Socrates had accepted a poison-filled bowl over a judicial verdict.

"Had I refused to accept the court decision, the people would have not accepted court orders in the future," he said.

Emphasising the need for stability, Gilani said that economic stability could not be maintained without political stability.

Gilani said democracy could become stable in Pakistan if the democratic governments completed their tenures.

Parliament is sovereign and survival of democracy in Pakistan is linked to the completion of assemblies' terms, he added.