Rule of Law
Thousands of Pakistani Lawyers Protest Over Judges
Posted Aug 28, 2008, 04:53 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Thousands of Pakistani lawyers blocked roads in several cities today to protest the country's failure to reinstate most of the judges removed from office by former President Pervez Musharraf.
Lawyers dressed in black suits blocked roads in all major cities, Reuters reports. They chanted slogans and waved flags as they stopped traffic. Several yelled "Down with Zardari,” referring to Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the leader of the major party governing the country in a coalition.
Around 60 appellate judges were removed from office, but only eight have been reinstated, ABAJournal.com reported yesterday. Opponents say the government is seeking to divide judges, who previously had refused offers to return to their jobs unless all were reinstated at once.
The former chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, has not been reinstated. Critics say Zardari fears Chaudhry would overturn a grant of amnesty given to him and other party leaders on graft charges.
One of the protest leaders, Aitzaz Ahsan, told reporters that the demonstrations won’t end until the group attains its goal, according to the Reuters story. "The lawyers are proving how organized they are, that they have total consensus, and this protest will continue until the chief justice is restored," he said.
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