'Pakistan judge case should be heard in public'

Islamabad, Apr 26: The hearing of a case against Pakistan's suspended top judge should be held in public in line with UN principles of justice, a leading international jurist today said.

President Pervez Musharraf plunged country into a judicial crisis on March 9 by suspending Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and ordering a panel of judges to hold an inquiry into misconduct charges against him.

Chaudhry has challenged the competence of the panel, Supreme Judicial Council, and demanded an open hearing into the case against him.

Dato Param Cumaraswamy, former vice president of International Commission of Justice (ICJ), said while hearing of such cases normally was held behind closed doors but 1985 UN Basic Principles on Independence of Judiciary provided for an open hearing if defence demanded so.

''In a situation prevailing here, it should be in camera but if the judge concerned seek a public inquiry that should be granted,'' he told a news conference.

The Malaysian-born Cumaraswamy is leading an ICJ mission to Pakistan to examine events taking place in the wake of suspension of Chaudhry.

Cumaraswamy warned that the judicial crisis in Pakistan would deteriorate and could cause ''irreversible damage'' to constitutional order in the country if it was not resolved immediately.

''I have never seen anything so bizarre as what happened here.'' Musharraf's move enraged legal community and his political opponents, who saw it as an attack on independence of judiciary, sparking protests throughout the country.

The government has not disclosed the accusations against Chaudhry, but newspapers has reported the main one appeared to be that he used his influence to help his son get a government job.

Analysts speculated that the move might have been motivated by fears that independent-minded Chaudhry would block Musharraf to duck a commitment to quit as army chief this year.

The crisis has proved the most serious challenge to Musharraf since he toppled a civilian government in a bloodless coup in 1999 but analysts say he will weather the storm because he still enjoys the support of the military.

Reuters

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