ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan’s Supreme Court yesterday granted the prime minister two weeks to prepare his defense on contempt of court charges, prolonging a political crisis that has shaken this nuclear-armed nation and set off a frenzy of media coverage.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appeared in court to explain why he has not pursued longstanding corruption allegations against President Asif Ali Zardari, something the court has repeatedly ordered and the government has repeatedly refused to do. The testimony capped days of speculation about whether Gilani would apologize, agree to the court’s demands, or resign, and about the implications for a civilian government facing collapse amid duels with the military and the judiciary.

Instead, Gilani stuck to the government’s position that Zardari is immune from prosecution, and his recently appointed attorney, Aitzaz Ahsan, pleaded for more time to study the case. The court consented and set the next hearing for Feb. 1, when Gilani’s attorneys are expected to delineate why the prime minister is not guilty of contempt of court and formally argue, for the first time, the case for Zardari’s immunity.

The court move marked another abrupt development in a building drama that has been punctuated by displays of cooperation between rival power centers. As rumors of a possible military coup swirled last week after the army and Gilani traded barbs, Zardari and the army chief met, briefly easing the sense of impending calamity.

That apprehension returned yesterday morning, with security helicopters hovering in stormy skies above the imposing court building here as Gilani arrived, driving himself. In a 20-minute address to the court, Gilani again insisted that Pakistan’s constitution confers immunity on Zardari and that he respects the court, a claim questioned by one justice who asked why the government had ignored its orders.