PAKISTAN'S LAWYERS PREVAIL, CHIEF JUSTICE CHAUDRY TO BE RE-INSTATED

At last we see the Pakistan government allow the reinstatement of Pakistani supreme court chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Former president and military dictator Pervez Musharraf booted Chaudhry out of office for refusing to rule in the general's favor. Talk about the rule of law! And I thought the era of absolute monarchs had disappeared in the 18th century. Musharraf's actions amounting to "get rid of the judge who won't rule in my favor" evokes memories of Henry II's famous line about Thomas Becket in 1170, "who will rid me of this troublesome priest?"

The new Pakistan leader and president, Asif Ali Zardari, whose deceased spouse was the assassinated Benazir Bhutto, continued in opposing Chaudhry's reinstatement. Why? Because he was worried that Chaudhry would rule against him too. Fortunately, because of the street protests and marches led by Pakistan's lawyers, Zardari has now backed down and agreed to Chaudhry coming back.

Note that Zardari has shown himself as bad as Musharraf in trying to quell peaceful protests by the lawyers with canes, clubs and threats of imprisonment.

PAKISTANI LAWYERS PROTEST FAILURE TO RE-INSTATE, RELEASE JUDGES

The current protests and street demonstrations in Pakistan are a continuation of the rightful demands of Pakistan's legal profession to reinstate Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudry and all the other judges and lawyers who have been illegally dismissed from office or imprisoned at the hands of former strongman Pervez Musharraf.

Pamela Constable reports from Islamabad for The Washington Post:

"Pakistani authorities arrested hundreds of political activists and banned public gatherings in two provinces Wednesday as President Asif Ali Zardari attempted to squelch a massive protest march organized by a coalition of opponents that includes lawyers and a former prime minister.

"The march, slated to begin Thursday, was originally planned by Pakistani lawyers as a peaceful action to demand the reinstatement of the deposed Supreme Court chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. But in recent weeks it has been overtaken by the clash between Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan People's Party, and the rival Pakistan Muslim League faction led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz.

"In scenes reminiscent of repression under Pakistan's former military regime, television footage Wednesday showed activists being dragged into police vans, even as major opposition leaders addressed boisterous rallies in several cities."

The current president Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, is proving himself no better capable of preserving the rule of law and a democratic government in Pakistan than Pervez Musharraf, former president and general of the Pakistan army.

NEW PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER FREES JUDGES ILLEGALLY DISMISSED BY MUSHARRAF

Finally we have the release of the Pakistani judges detained by Gen. Pervez Musharraf. The BBC reports that the new prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gillani, just ordered the judges to be freed:

"New Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani has ordered the release of all judges detained under emergency rule, minutes after being elected by MPs.

"President Pervez Musharraf sacked dozens of judges in November and former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was among those still held."

Musharraf had the judges, including Chief Justice Chaudhry, kicked out of office and arrested when they would not go along with his scheme to run for office at the same time that he was still an active general in the Pakistani Army.

Musharraf thought the Pakistani constitution did not apply to him. He apparently thought himself above the provisions of the constitution. Thus he got rid of the "messengers" or judges who would not rule in his favor.

Finally we get a return to constitutional law in Pakistan. Gillani, the new prime minister, made it a point in his party's quest for election that he would free the judges and return the constitutional rule of law. And this in spite of the cynical position of Bush and the U.S. in urging Musharraf not to back down on the judges.

NEW PARTIES IN PAKISTAN TO RE-INSTATE JUDGES DISMISSED ILLEGALLY BY MUSHARRAF

It looks like the new coalition in Pakistan will soon re-instate the judges dismissed illegally by Gen. Pervez Musharraf last year. The BBC reports:

"The leaders of the two parties that won Pakistan's elections have signed an agreement on a coalition government. Asif Ali Zardari, widower of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, and ex-PM Nawaz Sharif called on President Pervez Musharraf to convene parliament immediately. February's parliamentary elections delivered a crushing defeat to parties loyal to President Pervez Musharraf. Mr Musharraf has urged the incoming government to leave politics aside and concentrate on good governance. The coalition deal will bring together the Pakistan People's Party, which was led by Benazir Bhutto until her assassination, and the PML(N) party of Mr Sharif. "

This is a significant defeat for Musharraf and for George Bush. The U.S. government wanted to keep Musharraf in power. It even went so far as to advise him not to reinstate the judges. Recall that when the Pakistani Supreme Court was set to rule against allowing an army general such as Musharraf to run for civil office, Musharraf dismissed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and the rest of the court. Musharraf also sent the police to beat up lawyers protesting Musharraf's violation of the Pakistani Constitution.

Reports the BBC:

"All the sacked judges will be reinstated via a parliamentary resolution passed within 30 days of forming a new government. That appears to mean that the chief justice will get back his job, in defiance of Mr Musharraf's strong objections, our correspondent says."