Suspended Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry has broken his silence two months after President Musharraf removed him. He addressed a gathering of thousands consisting of lawyers and members of opposition political parties at the Supreme Court premises.
In his speech without naming the Pakistan president he said ,
“absolute power corrupts absolutely”
He warned that concentration of powers in one hand and one institution will spell doom for the country. Authoritarian regimes, he said, have no respect for the rights of life, liberty and equality. The vital system of checks and balances is eroded with bad consequences. He said even the holy Qoran has sanctified the institution of a free judiciary.
Before him SCBA [Supreme Court Bar Association] President Munir A Mallik wondered whether the army exists for Pakistan or the country exists for the military.
Chaudhry was sacked by Musharraf allegedly for misuse of power. The real reason was to ensure that the judiciary would not question his future acts of consolidation of his position.
His removal saw massive protests and violence in the port city of Karachi which left 41 dead on May 12. The continuing protests are being orchestrated by lawyers and assisted by opposition political parties.
Chaudhry’s speech was attended by hundreds of supporters of opposition parties like Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), headed respectively by former Prime Ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the Islamist Alliance Muthahida Majlis Amal, Tehrik-e-Insaf, (social justice) party of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, Awami National Party (ANP) besides activists of civil rights groups .
The government response came from information minister Md Ali Durrani who said the Supreme Court had been used for political activities, which was an illegal. He also said the forum of Supreme Court Bar Association had been misused.
