No wonder Nawaz Sharif has tempered down his rhetoric on this issue over the last week. He is preparing to swallow the bitter pill of “honourably” sacking/retiring Ch. Iftikhar.
New govt plans to thank, say ’bye to Iftikhar
** Iftikhar Chaudhry may be reinstated, then forced to retire**
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is drafting a constitutional package likely to sideline sacked chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry. The PPP is expected to submit the proposal for parliamentary scrutiny as soon as next week. It is honour bound to reinstate the judges sacked on November 3 within 30 days of the formation of the government, under a pact between PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan’s new political order will thank Chaudhry for precipitating the political shift that led to the defeat of pro-Musharraf parties in February’s elections, reinstate him and then try to wave him goodbye, analysts and others said. “Restoration will redeem his honour,” said a senior PPP official in government. “But this is about reforming the judiciary, not making heroes out of people.”
“If there is any compromise on this issue then there are serious threats to the coalition,” Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, a senior minister from the PML-N, told Reuters, adding that for now “all is well”. **Independent analysts say Zardari has Nawaz’s approval to remove Chaudhry without the issue breaking the coalition, but that Nawaz won’t say so publicly as he has to manage dissent in the PML-N. “**They are together on the fundamental issue, that this time the civilians will prevail,” the PPP official said. The restored judges could revive challenges to Musharraf’s re-election in October while still army chief, or go after the president for his November 3 actions. The PPP wants to avoid an early confrontation with Musharraf.
The PPP faces several problems including stabilising its government, averting possible economic crisis, and fighting Al Qaeda-inspired militants. ”Who benefits from upheaval?” asked the PPP official. “There’s a difference between a compromise and a sell-out.” It has been argued that forcing Chaudhry into early retirement could go some way to defusing a potentially explosive situation. **“The other option is not to remove him, but to reduce his personal power,” the PPP official said. That would entail removing the chief justice’s right to allocate judges to cases, and choose which judges sit on benches. **Aitzaz Ahsan, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, warned of more agitation if Chaudhry is removed. “There will be no closure of the issue. There will be continued uncertainty and instability,” he said.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\04\11\story_11-4-2008_pg1_9