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Independent judiciary will soon be restored

Hopes sacked Pak judge as lawyers protest

AFP, Islamabad
An independent judiciary will soon be restored in Pakistan, the conn try's deposed chief justice said Thursday, as thousands of lawyers and others denounced an embattled President Pervez Mushai raf.
Police fired tear gas and baton charged lawyers during a demonstration in the southern port city of Karachi They said nine lawyers were arrested during the rally
In eastern Lahore about 2,000 lawyers and political party supporters chanted Go Musharraf, go" and, "Restore independence of judiciary " during a rally.
'Victory' is not far now and we ll achieve our goal for an independ ent judiciary soon." Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, sacked from his post of chief justice by Musharraf in November, said in a telephone address to lawyers at the Sindh province High Court.
They were his first comments
since Monday's parliamentary elections, which analysts and diplomats say have left the political futureof Musharraf indoubt.
When Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3, he sacked 63 judges including then-Chief lustice Chaudhry, who was also detained at his home.
The independent-minded Chaudhr) became a p r o -democracy icon when he fought back against Musharraf's initial attempt to oust him in March 2007 over allegations of misconduct and abuse ol power.
lawyers around the country have held regular Thursday demonstrations since the judges' dismissal and have threatened a large-scale march on Islamabad next month if they are not reinstated.
In his address, Chaudhry said Musharrafs state of emergency in fact was a martial law . He added there were no constitutional hurdles to returning the judges to their
posts
1 was deposed by an executive order and I can be restored by an executive order. There is no need of two thirds majority of the parlia ment," Chaudhry said
During lus 35-ininute speech the lawyers cheered, demanded Musharraf’s resignation and called. "Long live Iftikhar".
Opponents say Musharraf imposed emergency rule amid fears that the Supreme Court, under Chaudhry, was set to overturn his victory in a presidential election the previous month.
During the Karachi demonstration police baton-charged and fired tear gas at about 100 lawyers weari ng suits and ties.
"We have arrested a few people and police had to use tear gas to disperse lawyers who were trying to hold a rally." senior police official Tahir Naved told AFP
Lawyers later rallied outside Chaudhry's house in Islamabad.