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"He knows that the people of Pakistan are looking at him with great hopes," Chaudry's spokesman told IOL. |
ISLAMABAD -- He was an appointee of a military ruler, but he ended up becoming an icon of democracy and justice in the Asian Muslim country.
Iftikhar Chaudry, who was sacked twice by Pervez Musharraf, re-assumed his office as Chief Justice on Sunday, March 22.
He immediately went down to business scheduling court hearings and approving panels of jurists.
Hundreds of jubilant lawyers and opposition activists, who campaigned for Chaudry's reinstatement for nearly two years, assembled outside his home for a ceremonial flag-raising as promised by slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.
The supporters carried balloons and threw rose petals, celebrating his return as a victory for democracy.
In an address to the nation in the wee hours of Monday, March 16, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani announced reinstating independent-minded judges sacked by Musharraf in 2007.
The decision brought to an end to a judicial-cum-political crisis that had been haunting the Asian Muslim country for nearly two years.
The campaign was championed by lawyers and opposition leaders, particularly former premier Nawaz Sharif.
"This is an unprecedented incident in the world’s history," believes Chaudry Aitizaz Ahsan, one of the leaders of the lawyers' movement.
"He was sacked twice by a military dictator, but he was reinstated both times. The first time was by the judiciary and the second through people’s power."
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Justice Chaudry’s friends describe him as having a balanced but determined personality.
"Times came when we all got disappointed and lost the hope for reinstatement of the judges, but he was the only person who never lost the hope," says his spokesman Ather Minalullah.
"He used to advise us to trust in Allah and be determined. The last victory will be ours," he added.
Chaudry was the first choice of General Musharraf who was at zenith of power in 2005, but within a year, Chaudry started showing his colors.
The first setback for the Musharraf regime was the famous case of Pakistan Steel Mills, which the government wanted to sell to a consortium of local and foreign investors at a much lower price than the market value.
The consortium included two close friends of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who reportedly paid a huge "commission" to ensure they get the deal.
However, their plans crashed on the rock of Chaudry who took a suo-moto of the case and after a two-month hearing scrapped the deal.
Another suo-moto notice taken by Justice Chaudry about the fate of hundreds of people who went missing and were later found languishing in illegal detention centers of security forces and Guantanamo.
Justice Chaudry summoned intelligence officials to his court and warned them that if the missing persons were not recovered immediately he would summon the chiefs of the powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI).
The threat worked out and some 107 person were immediately recovered.
But an infuriated Musharraf summoned the top judge and in the presence of four generals asked him to resign.
A famous "no" immediately turned Chaudry into a national hero.
Though he was placed under house arrest and a reference was filed against him in the supreme judicial council, thousands marched in his support.
Following a massive anti-Musharraf movement, a 13-member Supreme Court bench dismissed the reference and reinstated Chaudry as chief justice.
Though Musharraf accepted the ruling and was ready to work with Chaudry differences surfaced again when the top judge refused to give up on the missing persons' case.
The last straw at the camel’s back was a petition filed by Justice rtd Wajihuddin Ahmed, a presidential contender, challenging Musharraf's re-election in 2007 as president-in- uniform.
Justice Chaudry, as per judicial norms, constituted a seven-member bench, excluding himself, to hear the petition.
Nosing a ruling against him, Musharraf imposed emergency rule and sacked Chaudry along with 59 judges who refused to take fresh oath under the emergency order.
Two years of protests over his ouster fueled the downfall of Musharraf and pressured the current government of the Pakistan People's Party to yield to the opposition.
But during the while time Justice Chaudry remained as always steadfast.
"The first act he did after his reinstatement was offering of Nawafil prayer," says Minalullah, his spokesman.
"He is a firm believer, which has always helped him stand fast in the hour of need.
"He knows that the people of Pakistan are looking at him with great hopes. And he prays to Allah to grant him courage and determination to live up to the expectations of his people."
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