2007年VOA标准英语-Protests Over Suspended Judge Continue in Pakis

Protests against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of the country's chief justice are continuing, despite the detention¹ Thursday of about 200 lawyers and other critics of the suspension. VOA's Benjamin Sand files reports from Islamabad.

Protesters again chanted anti-government slogans Friday and demanded the suspended justice be reinstated.

Pakistani lawyers take part in an anti-government rally in Lahore,  13 Apr 2007

Inside the building, the former chief justice, Iftakhar Chaudry, was facing a five-member panel of judges reviewing unspecified charges that he abused his authority. The hearing was closed to the public and the news media.

Speaking to reporters afterward³, Chaudry's defense⁴ lawyer, Munir Malik, said he spent most of the morning objecting to the panel itself. He claims the panel is already biased⁵ against his client.

Malik says he specifically objected to three of the five judges saying they have already decided⁶ the case against Chaudry, before all the facts have been presented.

Chaudry has previously⁷ accused the three men of harboring personal grievances⁸ against him, and says it will be impossible for him to receive a fair hearing. He is pushing for the hearings to be opened to the media.

President Musharraf suspended Chaudry on March 9, a move that galvanized the legal community and provoked massive protests around the country.

The government has refused to specify⁹ the charges against Chaudry that led to the suspension. Officials say the hearings will reconvene April 18, although there is still no indication of when a final decision can be expected.

Chaudry had ruled against President Musharraf's military-installed administration in several high-profile cases.

The president's critics say the judge's removal was an unprecedented¹⁰ challenge to the country's independent judiciary, and a ploy¹¹ to remove a critic in advance of upcoming elections.

The president accuses his opponents of politicizing the issue for personal and political gain.

Mr. Musharraf says he will honor the panel's final recommendation on the justice, and will not interfere¹² in the proceedings¹³. However, government officials have confirmed that a number of lawyers and opposition¹⁴ activists¹⁵ were temporarily detained Thursday, ahead of Friday's protests.