Court Reinstates Pak Top Judge , A Major Blow to Musharraf
In a major blow to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday, July 20, reinstated chief judge Iftikhar Chaudhry and quashed misconduct charges against him.
The suspension of the judge was unanimously set aside as being illegal, noted Ramday.
He added that the misconduct and abuse of power allegations were also dismissed by a 10-3 verdict.
"As a further consequence the petitioner, the chief justice of Pakistan, shall be deemed to be holding the said office and shall always be deemed to have been so holding the same," the judge concluded.
Independent-minded Chaudhry was suspended by Musharraf last March on charges of misconduct and misuse of authority.
Chaudhry's supporters say Musharraf suspended the top judge for fears he would obstruct his plans to get re-elected by current assemblies before they are dissolved for a general election at the end of the year.
Musharraf said he accepted the court ruling.
"The president has said the judgment of the Supreme Court will be honored, respected, and adhered to," Musharraf's spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi told AFP.
The Pakistani government also accepted the verdict.
"I have always maintained that the decision by the honorable court must be accepted by all sections of the people including the government itself," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said in a statement.
He, however, said that it was "not the time to claim victory or defeat".
"Go Musharraf"
Friday's court ruling sparked cheers and celebrations among thousands of Chaudhry's supporters.
"This is a new dawn for Pakistan," Munir Malik, one of Chaudhry's lawyers and the president of Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, told AFP.
"This supreme court has vision and courage. The basis of a free and independent judiciary has now been founded in Pakistan," he added as the attorneys gathering outside the court chanted "Go Musharraf, Go!"
"Pervez Musharraf should resign because the charges were illegal and have been declared null and void by the highest legal authority in the country," said Ali Ahmad Kurd, a senior lawyer for Chaudhry.
"The doors of this building are from now onward closed to the generals and now no general will force martial law, and today a new Pakistan has emerged from this court decision," Kurd said.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and retains the dual position of army chief and president.
Musharraf's action against Chaudhry sparked what quickly became the biggest challenge to his eight-year rule, with mass pro-democracy protests and political violence in Karachi that left more than 40 dead.
"We salute the whole of the nation for this victory for the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the supremacy of the constitution," said Lahore High Court Bar president Ahsan Bhoon.
He added that the misconduct and abuse of power allegations were also dismissed by a 10-3 verdict.
"As a further consequence the petitioner, the chief justice of Pakistan, shall be deemed to be holding the said office and shall always be deemed to have been so holding the same," the judge concluded.
Independent-minded Chaudhry was suspended by Musharraf last March on charges of misconduct and misuse of authority.
Chaudhry's supporters say Musharraf suspended the top judge for fears he would obstruct his plans to get re-elected by current assemblies before they are dissolved for a general election at the end of the year.
Musharraf said he accepted the court ruling.
"The president has said the judgment of the Supreme Court will be honored, respected, and adhered to," Musharraf's spokesman Major General Rashid Qureshi told AFP.
The Pakistani government also accepted the verdict.
"I have always maintained that the decision by the honorable court must be accepted by all sections of the people including the government itself," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said in a statement.
He, however, said that it was "not the time to claim victory or defeat".
"Go Musharraf"
Friday's court ruling sparked cheers and celebrations among thousands of Chaudhry's supporters.
"This is a new dawn for Pakistan," Munir Malik, one of Chaudhry's lawyers and the president of Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association, told AFP.
"This supreme court has vision and courage. The basis of a free and independent judiciary has now been founded in Pakistan," he added as the attorneys gathering outside the court chanted "Go Musharraf, Go!"
"Pervez Musharraf should resign because the charges were illegal and have been declared null and void by the highest legal authority in the country," said Ali Ahmad Kurd, a senior lawyer for Chaudhry.
"The doors of this building are from now onward closed to the generals and now no general will force martial law, and today a new Pakistan has emerged from this court decision," Kurd said.
Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999 and retains the dual position of army chief and president.
Musharraf's action against Chaudhry sparked what quickly became the biggest challenge to his eight-year rule, with mass pro-democracy protests and political violence in Karachi that left more than 40 dead.
"We salute the whole of the nation for this victory for the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the supremacy of the constitution," said Lahore High Court Bar president Ahsan Bhoon.
