Besieged Pakistan To Restore Chief Justice

Move Could Help Defuse Political Crisis That Has Sparked Fighting And Worries Of Instability Amid Islamist Violence

(CBS)  Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in a speech on national television just before sunrise on Monday announced Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's restoration as chief justice of the supreme court effective March 22.

"We are committed to democracy and we will take all steps to promote democracy in our country,” Gilani said.

The prime minister's announcement finally confirmed news attributed to government officials earlier in the night, that the government had decided to restore Chaudhary, to quell further unrest with a large protest in Chaudhry's support, planned in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on monday.

The move to reinstate Chaudhary as the chief justice followed a day of widespread violence in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city with a reputation of being the country’s political nerve centre.

Nawaz Sharif, former prime minister and the main leader of the opposition to president Asif Ali Zardari, led thousands of protestors on the streets of Lahore on Sunday. Stone-throwing protestors clashed with policemen armed with tear gas and batons, creating one of the worst days of unrest in recent memory.

President Asif Ali Zardari who until Sunday morning was believed to have taken a strong stand in resisting Chaudhary’s return, by Sunday night had agreed to his comeback, mainly to prevent a recurrence of the violence in Lahore being repeated elsewhere in the country.

On Monday, protesting lawyers and opposition activists had planned an indefinite sit-in in central Islamabad to press the government for Chaudhry’s return, taking the protests to the country’s capital.

A senior Pakistani government official who spoke to CBS News and confirmed the decision to reinstate Chaudhry, said, Zardari changed his position partially under pressure from the U.S. as well as Pakistan’s own influential military.

In the past three days, Pakistani officials said, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, President Obama’s special envoy on Pakistan and Afghanistan, had spoken to Zardari, urging him to be more conciliatory towards his opponents.

Since Friday, General Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, the chief of staff of Pakistan’s army, also became involved in the crisis, holding meetings with Zardari and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, urging them to soften their government’s stand.

"This is a major shift in the government’s position" said a senior western diplomat in Islamabad who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. One major question going forward is Zardari’s own future, faced with humiliation as he retreated on Chaudhry’s issue. Since his election as president in September last year, he has tried to woo the U.S. to accept him as a credible, long term partner.

The Western diplomat who spoke to CBS News said much depends on Zardari’s ability to prevent his opponents including Sharif from ganging up against him. His additional challenge is that of keeping his position intact as head of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). “If Zardari survives and is able to retain his hold over the ruling party, the U.S. will of course still want to deal with him,” said the diplomat.

[dougnshannon]

The CIA should be thinking about disarming those nukes or India might be glowing like some girlscouts around the campfire

[Hailstorm123]

you people make me sick! some of you want to blame bush for all the worlds ills...huh?
some of you want to blame obama. huh?
get real people. presjfk even said "Pakistan can't handle democracy, they need a dictator"
are you all nuts?
first of all ALL PEOPLE WANT AND SHOULD BE FREE. WE ARE BORN THAT WAY ,ALL OF US>>>so yes they can handle it.
how about we blame the people who are causing the problem..why is it bushs fault pak can't get ther s**t togather? why is it obama's fault? .the pres does not rule other Countries...in fact he does not even rule this one...we can blame congress just as mush as the pres for any trouble WE have.
i've had it with you nuts......get it together....we are all suppose to be on the same team!
stop blaming and start using your brains!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a Great Ally. They assasinate the female candidate, exonorate a nuclear scientist who
sold "the big one" to rogue states, and grant permanent "SPRING BREAK" to Taliban "liberators" in the western provinces. We surely know how to pick our friends. Special thanks
to Mr President Bush and his wonderful advisors. We surely struck gold with this one.

[eclecticman1]

Hopefully the Pakistan government will keep its word and let the judges do their jobs. This is Pakistan's last chance at democracy. Does anyone want to see the radicals control Pakistan's nuclear weapons? As far as who is responible or not for this change of face, I doubt very much that we had much to do with it even though Holbrook was pushing for the Chief Justice to come back. i think the Pakistan goventment saw they couldn't control the situation.

[presjfk]

""HaHa...Obama's foreign policy at work. This darkie will have us so far in over our heads
Posted by aziridine at 12:37 PM : Mar 15, 2009 "

Bush was in power for 8 years and people like you don't hold him to account for any of the mess. Obama has been in office for 3 months and everything wrong in your eyes is his fault. Go f yourself.

[presjfk]

Pakistan can't handle democracy, they need a dictator.

[incog-nito]

All this is Obama's fault, of course.

[intheshade-2009]

Now, this is Change, Change we can depend on.

[Paulsaysso]

If Pakistan elects a government that we do not like, Obama will start a war and invasion of Pakistan for Change, regime Change. Whoever controls Afghanistan and Pakistan will control the flow of oil to India and the Far East. A US led consortium for the TAPI Caspian Sea Pipeline will connect with Central Eurasia oilfields and supply Southeast Asian markets. Now, this is change we can depend on.

[speakinup]

"HaHa...Obama's foreign policy at work. This darkie will have us so far in over our heads
Posted by aziridine at 12:37 PM : Mar 15, 2009




Well, Obama may have a darker skin color than you, but I'm here to tell you that he's a lot more intelligent - in spite of mistakes he may have made - because he's not a bigot, nor a racist and you are!

While I don't like Obama's policies - I condem your attitudes towards people that don't share your skin color, and find it far more dangerous that Obama's Presidency.

[perceptions5]

Wow !..............the world sure is coming together just like our star celebrity President and his close pals in our NAZI-like liberal MSM wolfpack press said, once the boggyman Bush was gone.................(insert eye roll)

We The People were fooled in 2008...........................now we will all suffer for the "bad move".................

[despido]

Looks like Obama will soon have his very own war. Clinton and Obama are formulating the excuse as I write. Shades of Bush-Rumsfeld....? Oh.... it's 'different' this time - we'll be calling it 'change' in stead of 'war'.

[promaclaura]

I think you should wipe out the word pedophile as a Christian only problem, these predators come in all shapes and sizes, religious/non-religious and from a multitude of countries.
Posted by promaclaura at 12:11 PM : Mar 15, 2009
**************************************
I think he infatuation with it might stem from the Catholic priest fame..perhaps he went to a Catholic school growing up???
Posted by dougnshannon at 12:46 PM : Mar 15, 2009

I thought the same thing, his protests seem so personal don't they? Although, it is sad about the Catholic Priests that abused boys and I do not excuse them, but I'm not going to paint them all pedophiles either. Also, who hasn't had a Jehovah Witness knock on their door, do we all look at them as evil and worst than suicide bombers/be headers? No, only people who were personally assaulted by a religion would take that stand, and I don't mean walking in a garage and interrupting working on cars. I wonder if Vacuum Salesmen dare to enter his lair.

[dougnshannon]

I think you should wipe out the word pedophile as a Christian only problem, these predators come in all shapes and sizes, religious/non-religious and from a multitude of countries.
Posted by promaclaura at 12:11 PM : Mar 15, 2009
**************************************
I think he infatuation with it might stem from the Catholic priest fame..perhaps he went to a Catholic school growing up???

[aziridine]

HaHa...Obama's foreign policy at work. This darkie will have us so far in over our heads in his Muslim politics, we'll need a periscope to see daylight. It's so good to be able to take solace in Obama's years and years of hands-on foreign policy experience!

Good thing Obama decided to base all those drones in Pakistan, wouldn't want them falling into the wrong hands!

One Big A$$ Mistake America!

[promaclaura]

Obama's pursuit of democracy in Pakistan could be as treacherous as GWB's pursuit of the same in Iraq.
Posted by zeitmin77 at 11:46 AM : Mar 15, 2009

Pakistan and Iraq have a better chance at democracy than Afghanistan, GWB learned that along time ago and hoped the fledgling government would take hold. It didn't because it is more tribal than modern (and all our troops is not going to change this). Today they don't even know if a central government will work in Afghanistan and it looks like Pakistan is providing a good example of a central government falling apart. Barack is in the process of learning this as well. It's strange, but it looks like Iraq is the stronger of the three and things are improving with Saddam gone.

[promaclaura]

Boy, you must have a big problem with Islam then. Islam is, "people who think their religion is right and the rest is wrong", and if you try to leave they kill you. I don't see that tactic in other religions, nor do I see the "beheading".
Posted by promaclaura at 11:09 AM : Mar 15, 2009
=============================================

I never had a muslim tell me I am going to hell for not believing their god. I never had a muslim person try to convert me to Islam, and I lived in the middle east for a while.
When I returned to America, sure nough, every weekend i get many pedophile crusaders knocking on my door asking me to join their church. I tell them I am busy but yet they are persistant. They walk in my garage when Im working on my project car. They wont leave me alone.
Posted by anti-zionist007 at 11:31 AM : Mar 15, 2009

I think you wouldn't come across as a "supporter" of the Muslim religion if you added a few slurs to them like you do other religions. Jeez you give a complete pass to those that behead and stone people to death, and turn around and "freak out" if a Christian tries to talk to you about religion? We all have Jehovah Witness come to our door, I kindly turn them away and they have no problem with that as they wave goodbye. Do I group these people with fanatical Islam, no way. I have acquaintances from all religions and I have never been told I was going to hell, not even from a Jehovah Witness. I think you should wipe out the word pedophile as a Christian only problem, these predators come in all shapes and sizes, religious/non-religious and from a multitude of countries.

[zeitmin77]

This is the usual smoke and mirrors show in Pakistan led by one of its most corrupt
leaders Nawaz Sharif.His "prelude to revolution " is just a potential prelude to fattening his rather depleted accounts in Swiss banks.He is as perfidious as Zardari.The best for Pakistan is a military dictator like Mushrraf ..Whatever the Western pundits may say the country is not fit for democracy yet.Obama's pursuit of democracy in Pakistan could be as treacherous as GWB's pursuit of the same in Iraq.

[dougnshannon]

Its all fairy tales to me ass clown.
Posted by anti-zionist007 at 11:37 AM : Mar 15, 2009
**********************************************************
remember that when you are in the shower at the gym...gays are atheists as well....

[dougnshannon]

I never had a muslim tell me I am going to hell for not believing their god. I never had a muslim person try to convert me to Islam, and I lived in the middle east for a while.
When I returned to America, sure nough, every weekend i get many pedophile crusaders knocking on my door asking me to join their church. I tell them I am busy but yet they are persistant. They walk in my garage when Im working on my project car. They wont leave me alone.
Posted by anti-zionist007 at 11:31 AM : Mar 15, 2009
********************************************************
Maybe someone is trying to tell you something...I'm a Christian and I don't go knocking on people's door or molest children and I certainly don't own a gulitien(sp?) If asked, I will profess my faith, however it is totally up to you to accept it or not...I would genuinely hope you would, but I'm not going to loose sleep at night whether you do or you don't. Furthermore, I don't see Christains strapping on suicide vests in the name of God to make a statement.