World
Musharraf Aides Aim to Block Restoration of Judges
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May 4, 2008 - 4:27:52 AM

Aides to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf are trying to block a parliamentary resolution to reinstate judges who were removed from their posts during a six-week emergency rule last November.

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, reached an agreement to reinstate the judges with co-chair of the Pakistan Peoples Party ( PPP ), Asif Ali Zardari, during talks in Dubai last week.

The coalition will reinstate the judges by tendering a resolution in parliament, Sharif said on Friday. All the deposed judges would be restored by May 12, Sharif said.

Musharraf removed some 60 senior judges from their posts after declaring emergency rule last November. The president wanted to prevent the Supreme Court from challenging the legality of his re-election.

The reinstatement of the judges will probably lead to a challenge to Musharraf’s rule and could eventually remove him from the presidency.

Musharraf’s aides are threatening legal action to block the parliamentary resolution, according to news reports.

Talks about restoring the judges were the first real test for the coalition of the two parties, as the deadline for having the judges restored expired on Wednesday, 30 days after the government was formed.

Previous talks to organize the judges’ reinstatement have failed because the parties could not agree on the degree of power the judges should hold.

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