International

Let Sharif return, court orders government

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top judge on Tuesday ordered the government to allow Nawaz Sharif to return home, saying its deportation of the former Prime Minister in September violated an earlier court ruling.

Hundreds of Mr. Sharif’s supporters clapped and raised slogans against military ruler President Pervez Musharraf outside the Supreme Court after the move by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary.

The judge also accused Premier Shaukat Aziz of disobeying the Supreme Court’s orders when Mr. Sharif was put onto a plane to Saudi Arabia on September 10, hours after ending his seven-year exile.

Mr. Chaudhary, a thorn in the government’s side since Musharraf tried to sack him earlier this year, had ruled on August 23 that Mr. Sharif had an “inalienable right” to come home and told authorities not to hinder him.

“The judgment passed by this court is very much intact... and is required to be implemented in letter and spirit,” Mr. Chaudhary told the court as he adjourned a hearing on appeals against the deportation until November 8.

“There was a clear-cut violation of our judgment.”

Mr. Sharif’s party said earlier this month that he would make a fresh attempt to come home in November, following the return from exile on October 18 of his political rival and fellow former PM Benazir Bhutto.

The Chief Justice earlier expressed anger that in the days just before Mr. Sharif was sent packing, “steps were being taken to violate the orders of this court by the Prime Minister (Mr. Aziz).”

Mr. Sharif was the man ousted by Gen. Musharraf in October 1999. He has lived in exile in Saudi Arabia and London ever since.

An 11-member bench of the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing of the constitutional petitions challenging the candidacy of Gen. Musharraf for the presidential election till Wednesday.

Head of the bench Justice Javed Iqbal said the court wanted to complete the case proceedings by Friday, as one of the members of the bench would not be available for the next week, according to local press reports.

Two presidential candidates, Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed, and Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) chief Makhdoom Amin Fahim had challenged the candidacy of Gen. Musharraf to contest the presidential election and had prayed to the court to stay the election.

On the eve of the presidential election, the Court allowed the holding of the election as scheduled but barred the Election Commission from announcing official notification of the results till a final disposal of the petitions.

According to the official APP news agency, the Pakistani Parliament gave Gen. Musharraf another term as president by a clear majority on Oct. 6. — Agencies

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu