Pakistan to restore chief justice

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan agreed today to reinstate a fired chief justice, a move that will help defuse a political crisis that has sparked street battles and raised fears of instability in the country at a time of surging Islamist violence.

Opposition leaders and lawyers had vowed to sit-in at the parliament later today until Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, known for his independence and willingness to challenge authority, was reinstated. The capital has been barricaded and scores of extra police have been brought in amid fears of violence.

In a dawn address to the nation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Chaudhry would be sworn in Saturday, the day the current chief justice was due to retire. The speech triggered scenes of jubilation outside Chaudhry's home in the capital, Islamabad.

Gilani also ordered all lawyers and political activists arrested over the past week to be freed immediately.

The concession came as thousands of protesters led by Nawaz Sharif, the head of the largest opposition party and a longtime foe of President Asif Ali Zardari, were traveling to Islamabad to join the planned sit-in. Sharif joined the convoy after ignoring a house arrest order in his hometown of Lahore in Punjab, where his supporters fought running battles with police.

Pakistani police officers use their baton to disperse lawyers during clashes in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 15, 2009. Pakistan's opposition leader defied house arrest on Sunday to join anti-government protests that quickly descended into violence and chaos, with running battles between stone-throwing protesters and police. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)

Party spokesman Pervaiz Rasheed said it had received confirmation of the government's decision to restore Chaudhry from "its messengers" and said Sharif would address supporters after Gilani's address, following which the convoy would return to Lahore.

"This is a victory for the people of this country," said Baz Mohammad Kakar, a leader of the lawyers' movement. "Chaudhry is the first chief justice in the history of Pakistan who has proved himself to be a judge for the people, as a chief justice for the people."

Former president Pervez Musharraf fired Chaudhry, 60, in 2007 after he took up cases challenging the leader's rule, sparking a wave of protests that helped force Musharraf from power in 2008.

Musharraf's successor, Zardari, pledged to reinstate Chaudhry within 30 days of taking office, but reneged on the promise, apparently fearing the justice might examine a deal that he and his wife, slain politician Benazir Bhutto, struck with Musharraf to grant the pair immunity from prosecution over alleged corruption cases.

Lawyers and civil rights activists have remained committed to the cause of Chaudhry's reinstatement, believing it was a vital first step in getting an independent judiciary in Pakistan. The court system has often been abused by past rulers to cement their grip on power.

Pakistani supporters of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif shout slogans in front of Police officers during a demonstration in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, March 15, 2009. Pakistan's opposition leader defied house arrest on Sunday to join anti-government protests that quickly descended into violence and chaos, with running battles between stone-throwing protesters and police. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Their movement got a boost last month when Sharif threw his full weight behind it after he and his brother, Shahbaz, were banned from elected office by the Supreme Court.

Zardari then dismissed the government led by Shahbaz in the Punjab province, the wealthiest in Pakistan and a vital prize for politicians.

On Saturday, the government said it would appeal the Supreme Court ruling.

In recent days, U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, had spoken to Zardari and Sharif, urging them to reach a deal. Washington and other Western capitals had been concerned the crisis was distracting the nuclear-armed country from its fight against Taliban and al-Qaida militants operating along the Afghan border.

The early morning announcement concluded a day of dramatic developments.

Before dawn, hundreds of police surrounded Sharif's residence in Lahore, carrying an order for his house arrest. Sharif denounced the order as illegal and later left the house in a convoy of vehicles as police stood by. It was unclear why they relented, but Lahore is Sharif's political stronghold.

Some of the protesters defied police barricades to gather near the city's main courts complex and pelt riot police with rocks. One mob smashed the windows of buses parked along the route of Sharif's convoy, while another broke into the main Post Office building, trashing furniture and then clambering onto the roof to hurl rocks at police below.

Police responded with tear gas, and beat several protesters with batons. Associated Press reporters saw several injured officers being helped away. A handful of protesters were detained and bundled into police vans.

Later, the crowd swelled to several thousands and police again pulled back. Many were black-suited lawyers, but most appeared to be supporters of Sharif, equipped with party flags and chanting "Go Zardari go!"

For days, the government has been seeking to squelch the protest movement.

Authorities have put the army on alert and temporarily detained hundreds of activists nationwide to prevent them traveling to Lahore or Islamabad. But its resolve appeared to waver Sunday amid signs of internal party dissent. A day earlier, a prominent minister quit Zardari's Cabinet, apparently over attempts to censor critical media coverage.

The Sharifs and 16 other protest leaders were initially ordered under house arrest, said Rao Iftikhar, a senior government official. Later, he said authorities reached an "understanding" with Sharif that he would address the protesters in Lahore and then return home -- an arrangement that authorities failed to enforce.

Sharif accuses Zardari of being behind the Supreme Court ruling last month that disqualified put Sharif and his brother from elected office over convictions dating back to Musharraf's rule.