Pak CJ reinstated, hope for democracy

The Chief Justice of Pakistan's Supreme Court was finally reinstated. Here is what Mumbai Mirror says about the episode:

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Supreme Court reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Friday, four months after his suspension by President Pervez Musharraf.
Chaudhry became a symbol of resistance to General Musharraf after refusing to quit in the face of pressure from the president and his intelligence chiefs.
"The reference has been set aside and the chief justice has been reinstated," Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, the head of the 13-member bench, said at the conclusion of the two-month-old case.
Jubilant Pakistani lawyers surround Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry (2L) at his residence in Islamabad
In a 10-3 verdict, the full bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ramday held as "illegal" the presidential reference against Justice Chaudhry, who had emerged as a rallying point for political opposition besides lawyers.
Chaudhry’s chief counsel Aitzaz Ahsan told reporters the case alleging misconduct by Chaudhry has been "quashed". He has been restored and it’s a victory for the entire nation.
Chaudhry’s defiance created the greatest challenge to Musharraf since he came to power in a coup eight years ago, and his reinstatement could create problems for Musharraf’s plans for re-election for a second five-year term in the coming months.
The mish-mash of misconduct charges against Chaudhry included using influence to get his son a job, fiddling petrol expenses and that he had a penchant for expensive cars.
The government filed a statement in the Supreme Court last month in which it also accused Chaudhry of harassing judges, showing bias in appointments and intimidating police and civil servants.
Musharraf’s real motive for trying to get rid of Chaudhry, many critics suspect, was that the judge could allow constitutional challenges to his plans to get re-elected by current assemblies before they are dissolved for a general election at the end of the year.
As Chaudhry’s supporters burst into immediate celebrations outside the court, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government accepted the judgement and would implement it.

Looks like there's hope for Pakistan's fledgling democracy yet. On the eve of it's 60th independence day, this seems to be a welcome development. The apex court has finally shown that it has got a spine.

Chief Justice Chaudhry was dismissed at the time when he was probing the government's scandals — something which goes against the grain of the Pakistani judiciary. Ever since 1947, the judiciary has been a puppet in the hands of the government — democratic or otherwise. Now, with Chaudhry back at the helm, President Musharraf has a lot to fear.

Not that Musharraf was a favourite with the masses since February 2007 — the multiple suicide bomb attacks on the dictator can stand by my claim. This is the beginning of the end for him.