Five more Pakistani judges resign over removal of chief justice

Five more Pakistani judges resigned yesterday and hundreds of lawyers demonstrated against President General Pervez Musharraf's controversial removal of the country's chief justice, deepening the political mess now facing the military leader.

Musharraf suspended Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on March 9 over unspecified allegations that he had abused his authority and now faces a growing current of public resentment over the army's dominant role in Pakistan.

Musharraf yesterday defended his move against Chaudhry, saying he has handed the judge evidence of complaints the government has received against him.

Musharraf's move has sparked a nationwide lawyers' strike and angry protests by lawyers and opposition activists - drawing a forceful police response and hundreds of arrests.

Critics claim Musharraf, who serves concurrently as army chief and president, sought to remove the strong-willed judge ahead of parliamentary and presidential elections due within a year as legal challenges to his rule could have been brought to the Supreme Court.

Five judges submitted their resignations yesterday - following another who resigned last week in protest over police manhandling of Chaudhry - claiming that the government's actions against the chief justice had hurt the judiciary.

"I have waited a few days before addressing you, in the hope something will be done to remedy the harm done to the judicial organ of the state. It seems I have waited in vain," Lahore High Court Judge Jawad S. Khawaja said in a resignation letter sent to Musharraf. It was read to the Associated Press by Khawaja's wife.

Three civil judges resigned in Karachi and another in the southern town of Pano Aqil, a judicial official in Karachi said on condition of anonymity because he did have permission to speak to the media.

About 1,000 lawyers chanting "Go, Musharraf, go!" and "Free the chief justice!" rallied in Karachi.

Lawyers in the city boycotted court proceedings on Monday and announced a strike for Wednesday, when a judicial complaint council will resume hearing Chaudhry's case, said Ali Ahmed Kurd, deputy chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council.

Munir A. Malik, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, said lawyers staged strikes in the cities of Quetta, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore. He said so far 80 lawyers have been arrested on charges including treason, terrorism, damaging property and violating a ban on rallies.

Pakistan's government is dominated by Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, promising to restore democracy. But the unceremonious handling of Chaudhry and brute force used to contain protests over his removal have sparked public outrage.

In an interview with Pakistan's Geo TV channel aired yesterday, Musharraf condemned the police action against protesters and acknowledged that the government has mishandled the situation.

Musharraf said that in taking Chaudhry's case to the judicial council the government has followed "all norms of justice."

"(The) Supreme Judicial Council will do justice. We don't want anything from them other than justice and I am sure they will do that," Musharraf said.

The Supreme Judicial Council resumes its hearing in Chaudhry's case Wednesday. The panel of top judges is meant to decide whether the chief justice should be sacked or reinstated.

Musharraf denied as "absolutely wrong" suggestions in the media that the government removed Chaudhry after he repeatedly pressed authorities to give information on the whereabouts of people whose relatives say they have disappeared into the custody of intelligence agencies over suspected militant links.

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