New Supreme Court Expected To Rule in Favor of Musharraf

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Pakistan’s Supreme Court is expected to declare within days that President Musharraf can legally stay in office for another five years.If this landmark endorsement emerges, it would clear the way for General Musharraf to end the state of emergency having secured his grip on power. Allies predict he would then resign as army chief and allow elections to be held.General Musharraf imposed emergency rule when the Supreme Court was about to strike down his re-election by the National Assembly on the grounds that the constitution forbids anyone from combining the offices of president and army chief.Having seized emergency powers, General Musharraf immediately sacked the chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, and purged other independent judges. He has since packed the court with new justices.So far, nine have been enlisted, eight of whom duly struck down the last decision of the previous bench declaring General Musharraf’s order imposing emergency rule to be illegal. The aim is for the new appointees to give General Musharraf’s re-election a clean bill of health.“Within the next few days, the court will be constituted and will rule on the case in short order,” a senior legal adviser to the regime said.The deputy information minister, Tariq Azim, said, “The case is pending before the court, and we hope to have the verdict as soon possible.”He said the ruling could emerge before General Musharraf’s current term ends on November 15. He would then resign as army commander — in accordance with his earlier pledge.“This will settle the major issue. When the ruling is given he can take oath for a second term and take off his uniform,” Mr. Azim said.The White House yesterday warned General Musharraf that America’s patience is not “never-ending” and that it expects him to return “soon” to the path of democracy.David Miliband, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, told the House of Commons that General Musharraf “must” allow parliamentary elections to take place in January in accordance with the constitution. “We are convinced that democracy, human rights and the rule of law are essential prerequisites for Pakistan’s development,” he said.

New Supreme Court Expected To Rule in Favor of Musharraf

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