Pakistan Views

Deposed chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry got a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Quetta on Monday at the beginning of a tour of the country to meet lawyers. Deposed CJP Iftikhar and nine colleagues were freed from nearly five months of house arrest last week on the orders of new Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.”I’m happy coming home after 18 months. Quetta is my home town,” Justice Chaudhry told Reuters as he got off a flight from the capital, Islamabad.Chaudhry was detained at his home in Islamabad until last week. Leaders of the two PPP and PML-N have promised to reinstate Justice Chaudhry and his colleagues through a parliamentary resolution within 30 days of forming a government.But that is likely to trigger a show-down between the new government and the president, who will be worried the judges, if reinstated, would take up legal challenges to him that could see his October re-election ruled unconstitutional.
“GO MUSHARRAF”
About 500 political activists waving party flags and black-suited lawyers thronged Quetta’s small airport shouting “long live the chief justice” and “Go Musharraf, go”.
They showered Chaudhry with rose petals as he came out of the airport terminal.
More supporters were waiting outside the airport.Security was tight with police, including members of an anti-terrorist force, armed with automatic rifles standing by and at least three armoured personnel carriers at the airport.Aitzaz Ahsan said Chaudhry’s supporters would not organise protests to press for Chaudhry’s reinstatement but would wait for the government to keep its promise to reappoint the judges.”If the judges are restored within 30 days then the movement will obviously end. But if not, this movement will continue,” said Ahsan who accompanied Justice Chaudhry with about two dozen other supporters on his trip to Quetta.Justice Chaudhry plans to tour the country to meet lawyers over the next month. Musharraf first suspended former CJP Chaudhry over accusations of misconduct on March 9 last year, infuriating the judiciary and opposition parties and triggering weeks of protests.