The waves of protests set off by the suspension and arrest of Pakistan’s chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry have grown into protracted anti-government rallies in Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf removed Chaudhry after an open letter written by Naeem Bokhari, a senior advocate and bar Council member, threw allegations of abuse of office on Chaudhry.
Justice Chaudhry has denied all charges of misconduct. Opposition parties have strongly condemned the government and alleged that the judge was removed for his judicial activism. Justice Chaudhry had challenged the government on many cases in the past. He had earned the displeasure of the government by taking a firm line on Musharraf government’s wrongdoings and human rights abuses since June 2005 when he was appointed chief justice.
Hundreds of lawyers rallied in front of the supreme court on Friday in spite of elaborate security measures. Extensive security arrangements had been made for Chaudhry’s hearing in the supreme court. Rolls of barbed wire fenced off the courthouse and the roads leading to the court were all blocked for traffic. Hundreds of riot police personnel had been deployed.
In the meanwhile, the powerful Punjab bar council has suspended Naeem Bokhari from its membership. He continues as a member of Pakistan bar council in Lahore.
The legal fraternity across Pakistan is organizing protest meetings against the government. Bar council of Pakistan and the provincial bar councils have announced suspension of work. Protesting lawyers burned an effigy of president Musharraf just outside the courts in Karachi. Courts in Pakistan are on strike throughout the week.
Several protesters have been arrested after demonstrators clashed with police. Rafique Tarar, a former president of Pakistan, led a demonstration in Lahore and was among the arrested.
Major opposition parties are firm in their support to the chief justice.
The anti-government movement is gaining momentum speedily and various opposition parties have come together to challenge the president’s attempt to create a non-functioning chief justice in place of Chaudhry through a constitutional reference.
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, an MP representing the Muslim League faction of exiled prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan have claimed that the future of the country has been undermined by the reference against the chief judge.
The storming and vandalizing of a private TV station on Friday by scores of police has also invited strong condemnation from all quarters. President Musharraf later apologized to Geo TV and said in a live interview with it ‘Such an incident should not have happened. The culprits must be identified and punished today.’ The Musharraf regime already has a poor record of press freedom.
The pro-democracy groups in Pakistan also are quick to take advantage of the situation to fight the Musharraf government. Some Islamic groups have also come out in support of Chaudhry and joined the protests.
The anti-government protests and rallies have gained momentum over the week and spread to provincial towns across Pakistan.
