Negotiations between the two coalition partners have again broken down, owing to Asif Zardari’s reported refusal to re-instate Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The main reason for Zardari’s uncompromising stand is that he’s worried that the reinstated C.J. will annul the NRO, and he could be arrested again and tried for the corruption charges against him.
I feel, however, that there is more to this than meets the eye. For one thing, the NRO can be given legal cover by parliament, after which it cannot be challenged once it becomes the law of the land. It appears therefore that Zardari wants his own man to be the Chief Justice, someone who will allow him to get away with more and more corruption.
It is therefore essential for all thinking Pakistanis to press for the restoration of the Chief Justice, whose bold stance over the past year resulted in the departure of Musharraf.
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