Pakistan’s chief justice back at work after turmoil
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 23, 2009 00:00
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's chief justice returned to his post yesterday after two years of protests over his ouster that aided the downfall of one government and pressured the current administration to yield to the opposition.
Also yesterday, Pakistan's prime minister and the top opposition leader pledged to cooperate, further easing political tensions that have distracted from the nation's fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Hundreds of lawyers and activists who have agitated for Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's return gathered outside the judge's home for a ceremonial flag-raising. They carried balloons and threw rose petals, calling the judge's reinstatement a milestone for democracy. "It is a day of victory for the people of Pakistan," lawyer leader Aitzaz Ahsan said.
The top judge tackled routine duties yesterday such as approving panels of jurists, a court statement said. He was formally back in office after midnight following the Saturday retirement of the chief justice who had replaced him. Former President Pervez Musharraf deposed Chaudhry in 2007 after the independent-minded judge began examining cases that could have embarrassed the military ruler and threatened his claim to office.
Independent judiciary protests
The justice's firing sparked a wave of lawyer-led protests that helped force Musharraf to allow elections that brought his foes to power in early 2008. Musharraf resigned last summer.
His successor, Asif Ali Zardari, promised to restore the chief justice but kept stalling, apparently over fears that Chaudhry would examine a deal that granted him immunity from prosecution over corruption claims.
Former PMNawaz Sharif, head of the second-biggest party, joined the opposition because of Zardari's failure to return Chaudhry to his post. Zardari gave in last week and reinstated the chief justice after activist lawyers and opposition supporters began a march toward the capital, where they planned to stage a sit-in at Parliament.
U.S. envoys, intent on convincing Pakistan to stay focused on fighting extremism, met with the president and premier in the run up to the decision to reinstate Chaudhry. Sharif was further angered after a court ruling last month barred him and his brother Shahbaz from holding elected office. Zardari dismissed the Punjab provincial government headed by Shahbaz, putting the regional governor in charge in what the Sharifs said was a blatant power grab.
The political parties are now jockeying for position in case a new coalition is needed to run Punjab. An alliance between Sharif and Zardari's party - as there was in Punjab before the court decision - remains a possibility. Punjab is Pakistan's wealthiest, most populous and most powerful province, and losing influence there could hamper Zardari's party on the national front. Sharif's party dominates the Punjab assembly, though it lacks an outright majority.
The top judge tackled routine duties yesterday such as approving panels of jurists, a court statement said. He was formally back in office after midnight following the Saturday retirement of the chief justice who had replaced him. Former President Pervez Musharraf deposed Chaudhry in 2007 after the independent-minded judge began examining cases that could have embarrassed the military ruler and threatened his claim to office.
Independent judiciary protests
The justice's firing sparked a wave of lawyer-led protests that helped force Musharraf to allow elections that brought his foes to power in early 2008. Musharraf resigned last summer.
His successor, Asif Ali Zardari, promised to restore the chief justice but kept stalling, apparently over fears that Chaudhry would examine a deal that granted him immunity from prosecution over corruption claims.
Former PMNawaz Sharif, head of the second-biggest party, joined the opposition because of Zardari's failure to return Chaudhry to his post. Zardari gave in last week and reinstated the chief justice after activist lawyers and opposition supporters began a march toward the capital, where they planned to stage a sit-in at Parliament.
U.S. envoys, intent on convincing Pakistan to stay focused on fighting extremism, met with the president and premier in the run up to the decision to reinstate Chaudhry. Sharif was further angered after a court ruling last month barred him and his brother Shahbaz from holding elected office. Zardari dismissed the Punjab provincial government headed by Shahbaz, putting the regional governor in charge in what the Sharifs said was a blatant power grab.
The political parties are now jockeying for position in case a new coalition is needed to run Punjab. An alliance between Sharif and Zardari's party - as there was in Punjab before the court decision - remains a possibility. Punjab is Pakistan's wealthiest, most populous and most powerful province, and losing influence there could hamper Zardari's party on the national front. Sharif's party dominates the Punjab assembly, though it lacks an outright majority.