ISLAMABAD - PakistanÂ’s suspended chief justice won the first round in a lengthy legal battle with the government on Monday, as the Supreme Court decided to consider his challenge against accusations of misconduct.President Pervez MusharrafÂ’s suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9 sparked protests by lawyers and the opposition that have turned into a broad campaign for the restoration of democracy. It is the most serious challenge to the authority of Musharraf since he seized power in a 1999 coup, and threatens stability in a nuclear-armed country on the front line of a global battle to defeat terrorism.
While political tension has mounted, the Supreme Court has for nearly a month been listening to complex legal arguments aimed at determining which judicial body should rule on the misconduct charges against Chaudhry. Chaudhry had challenged the impartiality of a panel set up to conduct the inquiry, and its hearings were halted pending the outcome of the Supreme CourtÂ’s deliberations.
The court on Monday brushed aside a government attempt to block Chaudhry’s challenge said it would get on with considering the case. ‘We are very happy and satisfied that the court has begun regular proceedings,’ Aitzaz Ahsan, the lead counsel on Chaudhry’s legal team, said.
A government lawyer rejected the notion that it was a setback. ‘Nothing has been said against the government. There is nothing adverse,’ said government lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri.
| "just a flesh wound!" |