Sacked chief justice wants protests to continue

Islamabad: The Supreme Court chief justice ousted and detained by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf made a rare speech on Thursday urging lawyers to continue protesting for his reinstatement.

Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has been under house arrest for over four months.

But on Thursday he managed to use a cell phone to address lawyers gathered in the eastern city of Lahore.

"I appreciate the role of lawyers for independence of judiciary. I also appreciate the support of civil society and political parties," Chaudhry said in the speech, which was relayed by several private television channels.

"God willing, this struggle will continue until we succeed." He didn't mention Musharraf by name, but said he had "refused to accept any pressure from the man in uniform."

"He wanted to misuse his uniform," Chaudhry said.

Musharraf removed Chaudhry and other Supreme Court judges after imposing emergency rule last November to protect his re-election as president from legal challenges.

Leaders of a new government expected to take office this month have promised to restore the judges - a move that could prompt a clash with the US-backed president and plunge Pakistan into crisis.

Musharraf first suspended Chaudhry, who had blocked privatisation deals and looked into the alleged "disappearances" of suspects detained in the US-led war on terrorism, in March of last year.

The step triggered mass protests by lawyers that snowballed into a broad movement calling for the restoration of democracy after eight years of military rule.

The parties of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, rode that wave to victory in February 18 parliamentary elections.

Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and political successor, and Sharif have promised to restore the judges through a resolution within 30 days of their planned coalition government taking office.

However, they have yet to explain how that will be done - especially if Musharraf resists.