ISLAMABAD, 21 March 2007 — One of the three deputy attorneys general of Pakistan resigned yesterday over the suspension of the country’s top judge, while a panel hearing the case against the judge postponed its next hearing.
The suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9 after the government lodged unspecified accusations against him has infuriated lawyers and many ordinary Pakistanis.
“I have sent my resignation to President Musharraf because in the current judicial crisis, it was not possible for me to perform my duties,” Deputy Attorney General Nasir Saeed Sheikh told Arab News.”
Seven judges have resigned this week to protest against the move to suspend Chaudhry.
Many judges and lawyers see the move against Chaudhry as an attack on the independence of the judiciary. The government has not given details of the accusations but a state news agency cited “misconduct and misuse of authority.”
Lawyers and opposition activists clashed with police in Islamabad and Lahore last week. Protests have continued this week but there has been no violence.
Lawyers and an alliance of religious parties had called for protests outside the Supreme Court today, where Chaudhry was due to appear for a third time before the judicial watchdog hearing the accusations against him, raising fears of more disturbances. But the panel of judges, known as the Supreme Judicial Council, postponed the hearing to April 3, the Supreme Court said. No reason was given.
A spokesman for the religious parties said they would still hold a rally, but in a market area. A lawyers’ representative said they had yet to decide on a protest or not.
Musharraf said in a Monday television interview elections due late this year or early next would be held on time and he ruled out imposing an emergency to end the uproar. Musharraf said everything he had done had been within the constitution, although he said some mistakes had been made in handling the case — such as not keeping the public informed. Dealers on Pakistan’s main stock market, up 1.69 percent yesterday, said Musharraf’s comments had cleared some uncertainty.
In a related hearing, the Supreme Court gave a High Court judge a week to get to the bottom of reports police manhandled Chaudhry on March 13, when he was being taken to the first Supreme Judicial Council hearing.
Judge Javed Iqbal, who was made acting chief justice after Chaudhry’s suspension, said the case was not about an individual but about the dignity of the Supreme Court.
Chaudhry was kept under virtual house arrest with his family for the week after his suspension. His lawyers say he is now free to meet who he wants although he is not giving media interviews.
Iqbal said he also wanted the inquiry to look into police action against protesters and reporters during demonstrations in Islamabad and Lahore, when many people — including some government officials — said the police over-reacted.
