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lemontree · 03-12-2007, 04:56 AM

The fun is just starting.

The Chief Justice seems ready to fight it out, and so is the media and the nations lawyers.

Quote:

Sacked Pak chief justice defiant, refuses to quit
Sacked Pak chief justice defiant, refuses to quit-Pakistan-World-NEWS-The Times of India
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is in the throes of a "junta versus judiciary" clash between president Pervez Musharraf and chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry after the latter, suspected to be under house arrest, refused to resign amid nationwide protests by lawyers in his support.

Lawyers, media persons and even a sitting judge, Raja Fayyaz Ahmed, were turned away from Chaudhry's residence, "politely, but firmly", by the police and staff, local reports said.

Protests and rallies took place across the country as PM Shaukat Aziz tersely justified the president's action of suspending Chaudhry and referring the charge of misuse of authority levelled against him before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

Aziz declined to offer a direct comment saying the matter was sub judice. But Dawn quoted him as saying: "Every violator of the law of the land in any other field will face the same treatment."

"I will never resign voluntarily ... I have done nothing wrong," Chaudhry told SC bar association president Munir A Malik, who called the chief justice over the telephone in front of reporters. According to Malik, Chaudhry indicated his readiness to challenge the presidential reference against him.

In office since June 2005, Chaudhry has been accused of influencing the appointment of his son Arslan, a medico, into the police force even though he had failed in a qualifying examination.

However, the protesting lawyers and the media attributed the presidential action to Chaudhry's judicial activism.
Lawyers said they would lay a siege when SJC meets on Tuesday. They questioned SJC's impartiality saying two of the members were opposed to it.