CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IN PAKISTAN OVER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

I wrote on May 5, 2007, of General Pevez Musharraf's seeming belittlement of the Pakistani Constitution, as indicated in his 2006 autobiography, In the Line of Fire. Yesterday, Al Jazeera quotes Iftikhar Chaudry, the Supreme Court Chief against whom Musharraf has brought charges, describing Musharraf's actions as being in opposition to the Constitution:

"But Chaudhry's message was clear. He said: "Nations and states which are based on dictatorship instead of the supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law and protection of basic rights get destroyed.""

Al Jazeera reports that when Chaudhry arrived in Lahore for his hearing on the charges, thousands of Pakistanis met him on the streets, many of whom were lawyers.

"Pakistanis waited through the night to offer a rousing welcome to the judge who defied the country's president as he arrived in Lahore on Sunday.

"Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice, later spoke in the compound of the Lahore High Court to thousands of lawyers, 17 of Punjab province's 23 judges, and opposition activists outside on the street."


(Photo from Reuters. Chaudhry received a hero's welcome when he arrived in Lahore to address lawyers on Sunday.)