In the struggle which might be headed “Lawyers vs. Musharraf,” it looks like the Pakistani dictator is about to take another thumping. On May 17, the Pakistani Supreme Court ruled that it, not Musharraf, would have the last say about the legality of the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry. Musharraf’s move, taken on March 9, instantly propelled Chaudhry to political stardom in Pakistani. It is not completely clear that the Court will overturn Musharraf’s action. In particular, it has a tradition of creative engagement with military dictators – rarely engaging them head-on. On the other hand, the political winds in Pakistan seem very unfavorable to Musharraf at the moment.
The alternative would be for Musharraf to acknowledge a blunder and rescind his decision on Chaudhry. Carlotta Gall reports this morning in the New York Times that he is under pressure to do exactly that.
