Word: musharraf
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Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled Friday that General Pervez Musharraf can run for another five-year term as President, dismissing three legal challenges brought by opposition parties. The six-to-three decision in favor of the military leader was met with a stunned silence that seemed to suck the air out of the packed courtroom, before a massive chorus of "shame" echoed through the building's marble halls...
...Presiding Judge Rana Bhagwandas's announcement that the petitions were "non-maintainable" means that Musharraf will be a candidate on October 6 when the legislature elects a President, despite his remaining in command of the army. (The constitutionality of his continuing to hold both positions had been the basis of the legal challenges to his running for a second term.) Lawyers who only two months ago had been celebrating the Supreme Court justices for standing up to Musharraf by reversing his dismissal of the popular and independent Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry - who did not preside in this case - denounced...
...Outside the Supreme Court building hundreds of protestors, flanked by just as many riot police, denounced Musharraf and the ruling. Members of one of Pakistan's religious parties hoisted a coffin on their shoulders emblazoned with the word JUSTICE and SUPREME COURT. "This coffin is a symbol of the death of the Supreme Court," explains Khalid Abbasi, a telecoms engineer from Islamabad. "Justice has died in Pakistan today...
...were dismayed by the decision. Some lawyers at the court expressed relief, explaining that while a decision against Musharraf may have upheld the integrity of the constitution, the consequences for the country could have been devastating. No one knows what Musharraf would have done had the court ruled against him, but rumors were rife that he would declare martial law, suspending basic rights and civilian institutions. "In view of the total political atmosphere in the country, the ruling is good," says Sheikh Zamir Hussain, a High Court Lawyer from nearby Rawalpindi. "A ruling against Musharraf would have led to chaos...
Political analysts say the recent arrests may indicate that Musharraf feels he may not win a majority of the votes. "I think this is a sign of desperation," says Ayesha Tammy Haq, a prominent political-talk-show host, who notes that these arrests will only backfire against the already unpopular President. "You are not winning friends by doing something like this...