Ashraf was driven to the main entrance of the apex court ina SUV shortly after 9 am.
Several federal ministers, including Information MinisterQamar Zaman Kaira and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, and leaders of the rulingcoalition arrived in the court earlier to appear alongside the premier as ashow of solidarity.
The premier will appear before a five-judge bench headed byJustice Asif Saeed Khosa to respond to a contempt of court charge for refusingto revive the graft cases against the President in Switzerland.
Both Kaira and Malik told reporters outside the court thatthe premier was appearing in the court as the ruling Pakistan People's Partyhad always respected the judiciary despite decisions that had gone against theparty, including the "judicial murder" of PPP founder Zulfiqar AliBhutto.
The two ministers further said they expected justice fromthe Supreme Court.
In June, the apex court disqualified Ashraf's predecessor,Yousuf Raza Gilani, after convicting him of contempt for not acting on repeatedorders to revive the corruption cases against Zardari.
Legal experts have said Ashraf could face the same fate asGilani.
A meeting of leaders of the ruling coalition chaired byZardari late last night decided that the premier would appear in court despitereservations expressed by several top PPP leaders. .
A section of the party, including Gilani, was opposed toAshraf's appearance in the court as it believes that it would make nodifference.
Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi, a leader ofthe PML-Q, said a consensus situation was made regarding the premier'sappearance in court today.
Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim said the PPP hadalways respected the judiciary but according to the Constitution, a person likethe premier could not be punished twice for the same matter.
Information Minister Kaira noted that former premier Gilanihad appeared in court three times and that the PPP had accepted hisdisqualification despite reservations.
"We didn't accept the decision in our hearts but weobeyed it. Today, we are appearing again because we respect thejudiciary," he said.
Extensive security measures were put in place for thepremier's appearance in the apex court.
About 700 policemen and additional personnel of the PakistanRangers and Frontier Corps were deployed to guard the "red zone"where the Supreme Court and other key buildings like the parliament arelocated.
A helicopter was used to conduct surveillance of the area.
The Supreme Court has been pressuring the government torevive the cases against the President since December 2009, when it struck downa graft amnesty that benefited Zardari and over 8,000 others.
The government has refused to act, saying the Presidentenjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad.
