ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - March 15, 2009 Opposition leaders and lawyers had vowed to sit-in at the
parliament later Monday until Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, known for
his independence and willingness to challenge authority, was
reinstated. The capital has been barricaded and scores of extra
police brought in amid fears of violence.
In a dawn address to the nation that capped a night of high
drama, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced Chaudhry would
be sworn in on March 21, the day the current chief justice was due
to retire. The speech triggered scenes of jubilation outside
Chaudhry's home in the capital, Islamabad.
Gilani also ordered all lawyers and political activists arrested
over the past week to be freed immediately.
The concession came as thousands of protesters led by Nawaz
Sharif, the head of the largest opposition party and a longtime foe
of President Asif Ali Zardari, were traveling to Islamabad to join
the planned sit-in. Sharif joined the convoy after ignoring a house
arrest order in his hometown of Lahore in Punjab, where his
supporters fought running battles with police.
Party spokesman Pervaiz Rasheed said it had received
confirmation of the government's decision to restore Chaudhry from
"its messengers" and said Sharif would address supporters after
Gilani's address, following which the convoy would return to
Lahore.
"This is a victory for the people of this country," said Baz
Mohammad Kakar, a leader of the lawyers' movement. "Chaudhry is
the first chief justice in the history of Pakistan who has proved
himself to be a judge for the people, as a chief justice for the
people."
Former President Pervez Musharraf fired Chaudhry, 60, in 2007
after he took up cases challenging the leader's rule, sparking a
wave of protests that helped force Musharraf from power in 2008.
Musharraf's successor, Zardari, pledged to reinstate Chaudhry
within 30 days of taking office, but reneged on the promise,
apparently fearing the justice might examine a deal that he and his
wife, slain politician Benazir Bhutto, struck with Musharraf to
grant the pair immunity from prosecution over alleged corruption
cases.
Lawyers and civil rights activists have remained committed to
the cause of Chaudhry's reinstatement, believing it was a vital
first step in getting an independent judiciary in Pakistan. The
court system has often been abused by past rulers to cement their
grip on power.
Their movement got a boost last month when Sharif threw his full
weight behind it after he and his brother, Shahbaz, were banned
from elected office by the Supreme Court. Zardari then dismissed
the government led by Shahbaz in the Punjab province, the
wealthiest in Pakistan and a vital prize for politicians.
On Saturday, the government said it would appeal the Supreme
Court ruling.
In recent days, U.S. officials, including Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, had spoken to Zardari and Sharif, urging
them to reach a deal. Washington and other Western capitals had
been concerned the crisis was distracting the nuclear-armed country
from its fight against Taliban and al-Qaida militants operating
along the Afghan border.
The early morning announcement concluded a day of dramatic
developments.
Before dawn, hundreds of police surrounded Sharif's residence in
Lahore, carrying an order for his house arrest. Sharif denounced
the order as illegal and later left the house in a convoy of
vehicles as police stood by. It was unclear why they relented, but
Lahore is Sharif's political stronghold.
Some of the protesters defied police barricades to gather near
the city's main courts complex and pelt riot police with rocks. One
mob smashed the windows of buses parked along the route of Sharif's
convoy, while another broke into the main Post Office building,
trashing furniture and then clambering onto the roof to hurl rocks
at police below.
Police responded with tear gas, and beat several protesters with
batons. Associated Press reporters saw several injured officers
being helped away. A handful of protesters were detained and
bundled into police vans.
Later, the crowd swelled to several thousands and police again
pulled back. Many were black-suited lawyers, but most appeared to
be supporters of Sharif, equipped with party flags and chanting
"Go Zardari go!"
For days, the government has been seeking to squelch the protest
movement.
Authorities have put the army on alert and temporarily detained
hundreds of activists nationwide to prevent them traveling to
Lahore or Islamabad. But its resolve appeared to waver Sunday amid
signs of internal party dissent. A day earlier, a prominent
minister quit Zardari's Cabinet, apparently over attempts to censor
critical media coverage.
The Sharifs and 16 other protest leaders were initially ordered
under house arrest, said Rao Iftikhar, a senior government
official. Later, he said authorities reached an "understanding"
with Sharif that he would address the protesters in Lahore and then
return home - an arrangement that authorities failed to enforce.
Sharif accuses Zardari of being behind the Supreme Court ruling
last month that disqualified put Sharif and his brother from
elected office over convictions dating back to Musharraf's rule.
---
Associated Press writers Babar Dogar in Lahore, and Zarar Khan
and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad contributed to this report.
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