Judge's Hearing Threatens Democracy; Political Outlook Increasingly Uncertain

Pakistan's judicial crisis began on March 9 when Chaudhary was summoned by Musharraf to explain his position on a number of charges brought against him over alleged misconduct and misuse of authority. Finding his answers to be unsatisfactory, the president referred the allegations to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a five member body of senior judges empowered to probe the conduct of their peers. Alongside this, Musharraf issued orders restraining the chief justice from performing his functions and ordered the appointment of an acting chief justice. The legality of both moves has been severely questioned, and many believe that Musharraf

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