World | Pakistan
Chaudhry praises Sharif's party for quitting cabinet
Addressing a gathering of about 2,000 lawyers and activists via telephone in Karachi, Chaudhry said the country's 60-year history of military coups and political instability had undermined the rule of law.
- AP
- Published: 00:19 May 23, 2008
- A lawyer chants slogans during a rally in Lahore yesterday demanding the reinstatement of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf during his emergency rule in November 2007.
- Image Credit: Reuters
Karachi: Deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on Thursday praised the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for pulling its ministers from the coalition Cabinet after a dispute over the restoration of judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf.
Addressing a gathering of about 2,000 lawyers and activists via telephone in Karachi, Chaudhry said the country's 60-year history of military coups and political instability had undermined the rule of law.
Without actually naming but making obvious reference to the PML-N, Chaudhry complimented it for its "sacrifice".
"I must appreciate that such a big sacrifice was never made in the past," he said. "We value this act and we understand that this would be a milestone for the country to reach its destiny."
The move by Sharif's party, however, has left the ruling coalition - the first civilian administration following eight years of military-dominated rule under Musharraf - close to collapse.
Sharif has said his party will support Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party, which heads the coalition, on a case-by-case basis. But the PML-N has also pledged support for the upcoming lawyers' agitation to demand the restoration of the judges, rallies that could crank up pressure on Zardari.
Musharraf removed Chaudhry and about 60 other judges last year and temporarily declared a state of emergency in a bid to prevent legal challenges to his continued rule.
In parliamentary and provincial elections in February, the parties of Sharif and Zardari defeated Musharraf's allies and both pledged to restore the judges. But they have not agreed on exactly how.
Chaudhry's fate is a key issue. As chief justice, he was unusually independent, blocking government privatisation deals and investigating complaints that it secretly held militant suspects and opposition activists.
Musharraf, a retired army chief, accused the chief justice of corruption and conspiring against him. Zardari has accused Chaudhry and other judges of "playing politics" and failing to deliver justice to him during the years he was jailed on unproven corruption charges.
Sharif, an ex-premier ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 coup, has pushed especially hard for Chaudhry's return, stirring talk that he sees him as an ally in a drive to oust Musharraf.
I must appreciate that such a big sacrifice was never made in the past... We value this act and we understand that this would be a milestone for the country to reach its destiny."
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