Pak SC notices Musharraf, others in CJ's case

Islamabad, Apr 19: Pakistan's Supreme Court today issued notices to President General Pervez Musharraf, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and the Attorney General for April 24. Notices were issued by a full bench of the apex court after preliminary hearing of a petition filed by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry challenging his suspension as well as competence and constitution of the SJC.

Chaudhry, who appeared for the fifth time before the council to face a presidential reference against him yesterday, has raised 132 legal questions of ''great public importance'' in his petition.

This is for the first time in Pakistan's judicial history that a Chief Justice has moved the Supreme Court while facing the reference in the council, which will now meet on April 24.

''The petitioner is filing the titled petition wherein as many as 132 questions of great public importance have been raised and need to be settled by the Supreme Court,'' Chaudhry said the petition.

These questions relate to competence and constitution of the SJC and as to whether a reference could, at all, be filed, mala fide and colleteral purpose of the referring authority and the Prime Minister, unholy haste, illegal suspension, illegal assumption of office by the acting Chief Justice and independence of judiciary as a whole.

Chaudhry has also sought an interim relief on several points including a stay on proceedings of the SJC, inquiring into presidential allegations that the former CJ misused his powers.

''Notices have been issued to the President, who referred the matter to the council, the SJC and the attorney general,'' Chaudhry's chief counsel Aitzaz Ahsan told reporters here today.

He said he argued before the court that only a full court could inquire into accusations against the Chief Justice and the SJC was not a proper forum for this purpose.

''I told the court that the SJC cannot be convened under presidentship of the acting Chief Jusitce,'' he added.

Asked how would he and other members of his team would attend hearings of the apex court and the council the same day, he said, ''we will first attend the court's hearing, which is the most supreme body.'' Chaudhry's dismissal by President Musharraf sparked countrywide protests by lawyers and opposition parties including the one on March 16 when police clashed with the protestors and fired rubber bullets on them.

UNI