Opposition swells to Pakistani judge's sacking

Islamabad, Mar 13: Opposition swelled today to the government's move to sack Pakistan's top judge as a judicial council heard the case against him behind closed doors.

Lawyers across the country have staged angry protests since President Pervez Musharraf's government decided on Friday to suspend Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary.

The government has given no details of allegations against Chaudhary but analysts said the action might be related to his efforts to make authorities account for people who disappeared after being taken into custody.

Chaudhary has been confined to his home in Islamabad since Friday, with police blocking most access to him, although the government denies he is under house arrest.

Today he was moved to a government guest house before being taken to the Supreme Court in the capital amid tight security for the closed judicial council hearing.

Chaudhary's car was thronged by supporters as he approached the court and police had to escort him on foot.

''If you want me to defend myself properly and give my version before the Supreme Judicial Council, let me go in.

Otherwise they will think I'm not going in because of fear,'' Chaudhary told them Police and lawyers clashed in the city of Lahore yesterday and about 25 people were hurt. As well as Islamabad, protests took place in Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Kashmir on Tuesday.

About 200 lawyers and liberal party supporters protesting outside the Supreme Court were joined by rights activists and the leader of an alliance of Islamist parties who said the government had acted unconstitutionally.

''There's no constitution, no rule of law in the country.

General Pervez Musharraf wants the supremacy of the generals, the army. That's why he did this,'' said the Islamist leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed.

The uproar has contributed to a sense of uncertainty on Pakistan's main stock market, dealers said.

''CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS''

The government said on Friday the Supreme Judicial Council would inquire into ''numerous complaints and serious allegations'' against Chaudhary, APP news agency reported. The state-run agency also cited ''misconduct and misuse of authority''.

US-based Human Rights Watch said that by ''brazenly and unlawfully dismissing'' Chaudhary, the government had undermined the independence of the judiciary. His hearing should be open, it said.

''President Musharraf has created a constitutional crisis at the judiciary's expense,'' said Ali Dayan Hasan, a researcher for the group.

The News newspaper said that denying Chaudhary his right to move and associate freely violated the constitution.

''The government needs to extricate itself from this ugly situation before it spirals out of control,'' it said.

''Any delay in repairing the damage can only convince most Pakistanis that they live in a country that has all the makings of a police state.'' Human Rights Watch said the move to oust Chaudhary pointed to government determination to control the judiciary in the run-up to elections due late this year or early next.

Though appointed by Musharraf in 2005, Chaudhary later attempted to assert judicial independence and took up several rights cases including initiating proceedings in cases involving enforced disappearances, Human Rights Watch said.

Rights groups say at least 400 people have disappeared since Pakistan joined the US-led war on terrorism in 2001.

REUTERS

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