Pakistanis Protest Top Judge's Ouster

Cops Detain Activists Angered By Musharraf's Suspension Of Supreme Court Chief Justice

(AP) 
Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, who was at the Geo building at the time, quickly condemned the police action but said all the staff inside were safe.

"I condemn this incident. There was no justification for it. Action will be taken against those responsible. Police should not have done it," he said.

Later Friday, Musharraf also apologized for the raid and promised action against those responsible.

"The first thing is that it was a very sad incident. It should have not happened, and I condemn it," Musharraf said in live phone interview with Geo. He said the "culprits responsible for it must be identified and action against them must be taken today."
There were also clashes between police and demonstrators in the eastern city of Lahore, where former President Rafiq Tarar was among hundreds of people who rallied in support of Chaudhry. Reporters saw Tarar, a former supreme court judge who served as president from 1988-2001, being taken away in a police vehicle. A police official said he would be taken home and released.

Dozens of opposition activists were detained in overnight raids in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, and more than 200 were arrested in Lahore, police and government officials told AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The government insists its actions against Chaudhry are not political.

But lawyers warned they were a grave threat to the judiciary's independence, and opposition politicians accused Musharraf of removing a judge who has embarrassed the authorities in several high-profile cases.

Chaudhry has pressed the government hard to provide information on the whereabouts of dozens of people said by relatives to be secretly held by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Last year, he embarrassed Musharraf with a ruling that blocked plans to privatize a huge state-run steel company.

The muscular response to the unrest will also do little to boost the image of Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, promising to restore democracy.

"The military establishment has overstretched itself," columnist Khalid Jawed Khan wrote Friday in the respected Dawn newspaper. "While it wants to demonstrate its power, it is exposed and looks weakened as never before. The general has never been so vulnerable."

With parliamentary elections due within a year, the issue is particularly sensitive. Musharraf is expected to seek re-election from the outgoing assembly, and has given no indication that he is willing to yield to opposition demands that he give up his post as chief of the army — a stance likely to draw complaints to the Supreme Court.

The U.S. government, which says it values Musharraf's commitment to restoring democracy as well to countering terrorism, said Thursday it was watching the situation closely.

"It is a matter of deep concern, and we believe that the resolution of this matter should take place in a way that is completely transparent and strictly in accordance with Pakistan's laws," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Chaudhry is vowing to fight to keep his job. After a hearing that lasted about two hours, his lawyer Tariq Mahmood said the case had been adjourned until March 21.

[tbweb]

--pwrslm

Exactly!! Well said! What people fail to realize is that the U.S. makes the best choice it can, but that sometimes all the choices are bad choices, so when the U.S. picks the best bad choice it looks likes the U.S. supports whatever it is, but the reality is the U.S. had no other "choice". The "Lesser Evil" theory!

[pwrslm]

I think the best way to put is, which of the two evils should we uphold?

We have no other choice.

Kind of like back in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, when all those folks claim we created/supported the Taliban, and Saddam Husseins Bathist party. We had no choice.

[pwrslm]

The judicial activism in Pakistan is dangerous to the world. These so called judges are pushing for Islamic Sharia. If Pakistan becomes a hard line Islamic nation like that, with the Nuclear weapons they have, it could spark a huge conflict with India, resulting in both nations using thier nuclear arsenals. India has something like 2-300 warheads, Pakistan only has a 1-2 dozen.

Musharrif refuses to allow that to happen, he is first and foremost a military leader, and his coup prevented the men who created the Taliban in Afghanistan from coming to power in Pakistan. There is a high population of radical/orthodox Muslims in Pakistan who would probably use or provide nukes for use against other nations, the US, Brittain, and Russia, to name a few.

[diplomacy3]

Look what happens when the Chief Executive clashes with Chief Justice. The public outcry and a negative response from his country's entire judicial system is beyond President's expectation. He wants to retract but it seems time is not on his side, and his own 'selection' for the next term is in jeopardy.

[dargay]

I was one of Musharraf's strongest supporters, but now I think he has gone mad. The way he assaulted the judiciary, and how the police have attacked protesters and media is absolutely disgraceful.

Musharraf is beyond his utility to Pakistanis. He needs to go.