Pakistani Supreme Court Reinstates Suspended Chief Justice

Pakistan's Supreme court has reinstated its chief justice,Iftikhar Chaudhry,four months after Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf suspended him.His controversial dismissal on March 9, and his subsequent refusal to back down, galvanized public opposition to the president.In a 10-3 vote the court Friday dismissed the government case against the chief justice.Iftakhar Chaudhry's lawyer Munir Malik called the verdict "an historic" decision.He says Friday we saw the birth of a new Supreme Court, one fully committed to judicial independence.Hundreds of lawyers and anti-government activists rallied outside the Supreme Court and cheered the decision as soon as it was announced.In a written statement,Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would accept the verdict "with grace and dignity."President Musharraf suspended Chaudhry in March after accusing him of abusing his authority.The judge's supporters claimed the suspension was a blatantly unconstitutional attack on the court's integrity.The controversial move sparked massive, nationwide protests against the government.
Chaudhry's courtroom victory is widely seen as a stunning rebuke to President Musharraf's authority.The ruling comes as the Pakistani leader is already reeling from a wave of suicide attacks in recent days.More than 150 people have been killed as militants respond to last week's government raid of Islamabad's pro-Taleban Red Mosque.Political experts here in Pakistan say the president faces his greatest political challenge since seizing power through a military coup in 1999.
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