Iftikhar Chaudhry: "rise up and restore the consitution"

Pakistan’s sacked (twice sacked by Musharraf, if I remember right) Chief Justice Chaudhry has called, according to the BBC, for lawyers and the wider public in Pakistan to rise up to force the restoration of the constitution.

It’s a worrying time, this: no one wants to see violence and chaos. But sometimes you have to take risks in order to fight for what’s right. Musharraf has now clearly crossed the line to despotism, and Pakistan has a clear choice to make. I’m glad that Benazir Bhutto seems to be backing the protests.

I can’t claim deep expertise in Pakistani politics since Jinnah, but you hardly need to be a fellow at Chatham House to know that Pakistan’s been dogged by the excessive http://www.magliettedacalcioit.com influence of the army – Musharraf’s coups have only been the latest in a series of military takeovers, when the army have got fed up of civilian government.

If we’re now seeing the rise of a countervailing institution, committed to democracy and the rule of law, it’ll be a turning point in Pakistan’s history.