Pakistani judge back at helm of high court
His ouster reversed, Chaudhry says corruption hinders justice.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The nation's chief justice called for an end to corruption within the judicial system after returning to the Pakistani bench yesterday for the first time in two years - brought back by the government under public pressure.
As he returned to the Supreme Court, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry also faced demands to investigate the disappearance of hundreds of people believed to have been detained by security forces since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
Chaudhry, hailed by supporters as fearlessly independent, was dismissed two years ago by then-President Pervez Musharraf, sparking protests by lawyers that helped oust the U.S.-backed military ruler in 2008.
Musharraf's civilian successor, Asif Ali Zardari, had resisted demands to reinstate Chaudhry, apparently fearing the judge might reopen a deal that has protected Zardari from prosecution on corruption allegations.
Zardari relented this month, but only after thousands of demonstrators led by Nawaz Sharif, head of the largest opposition party, prepared a march to Parliament.
In recent days, all sides in the dispute have called for reconciliation, which is likely to please the United States and other Western allies who want Pakistan to focus on battling al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
At the start of his first hearing yesterday, Chaudhry thanked Pakistanis for supporting him but warned that the population often viewed the courts as corrupt.
"Lawyers should help us end corruption," he said. "You should point out those cases in which you see elements of corruption. It is a must for justice to end corruption first."
The judge is likely to face strong scrutiny, especially in politically sensitive cases such as the fate of several hundred people believed detained during Musharraf's rule.
The issue could prove embarrassing to the United States because some of the missing may have been turned over to American authorities. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad declined comment.
