ISLAMABAD, 10 March 2007 — Pakistan’s President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended the country’s chief justice yesterday for “misuse and abuse of power,” and submitted a case against him to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on the advice of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Justice Javed Iqbal has taken over as acting chief justice because the next senior judge of the top court, Justice Bhagwandas is out of the country.

Speculation regarding Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s fall was rife following reports that he had misused his influence to secure official employment for his sons, and the recent court rulings that had challenged the government’s authority.

Federal Minister for Law and Justice Wasi Zafar told Arab News that Chaudhry misused his authority to get his two sons appointed — one in the Federal Investigation Agency and the other in Punjab’s Health Department.

Political observers believe Justice Chaudhry has been punished for his verdict against the privatization of Karachi Steel Mills. He had also taken suo moto action against the disappearances of several government critics.

Chaudhry heard a landmark case brought by relatives of dozens of people believed taken into secret custody by intelligence agencies. The chief justice pressed the government to provide information on the detainees’ whereabouts.

“Musharraf’s action came at a time when the opposition was gearing up to challenge his re-election as the president by the present assemblies,” PPP legislator and jurist Aitzaz Ahsan said.

Observers say President Musharraf may impose emergency and postpone general elections and the action against the chief justice could be a step in that direction.

Lawyer Ahmad Reza Kasuri told Arab News that after charge-sheeting the chief justice, the president can remove him.

Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Sher Afghan Niazi said the tenure of the present assemblies can be extended, while Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq observed that if the opposition deputies resigned from the assemblies to block the re-election of the president, the next move would be the imposition of martial law.

Prominent lawyers and former judges expressed surprise over the move that underlined the power of the executive over the judiciary. Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani said Musharraf removed Chaudhry for “misuse of authority” but gave no further details.

Musharraf had received “numerous complaints and serious allegations of misconduct, misuse of authority and actions prejudicial to the dignity of office of the chief justice of Pakistan,” and Chaudhry had been unable to give a satisfactory explanation, the official APP news agency said.

Former Chief Justice Saeed uz-Zaman Siddiqui told private Geo TV that Chaudhry’s removal was “unfortunate,” but Musharraf had the power to act against Chaudhry. “He (Chaudhry) was an upright person, and the action against him has surprised me,” said Abdul Qayyum, a retired judge, who now works as a lawyer. Recent rulings by Chaudhry may have irked the government.

Talat Masood, a political analyst, said the removal of Chaudhry demonstrated the power of the military and suggested that Musharraf’s government wanted to have a “pliable judiciary” ahead of parliamentary elections expected later this year.

— With input from agencies