Lahore:
President Asif Ali Zardari backed down from a confrontation with Pakistan's powerful top judge on Wednesday, defusing a potential judicial crisis that threatened to destabilize the government.
On Saturday, Zardari had clashed with Pakistan's chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, over the appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court. The disagreement set off alarms in the capital, Islamabad, with Pakistani news media speculating that it was a fight Zardari - a weak, unpopular president - would lose.
But Wednesday night, Zardari withdrew his choice, and submitted a candidate whom Chaudhry did not oppose. Pakistan's prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, a member of Zardari's party, said in a speech to parliament that the government made the decision in the interests of stability in Pakistan.
Chaudhry became a national symbol after former President Pervez Musharraf removed him. He gained more popularity through his role in a national protest march against Zardari, who did not immediately reinstate him after he became president.
But the chief justice's recent actions have prompted criticism from some of his closest allies, including the head of Pakistan's most important human rights organization, who say he is using his popularity for politics.
The latest row was short, but prompted strong words from Zardari's main political opponent, Nawaz Sharif, who attacked Zardari as "the biggest threat to democracy." Attacking Zardari has become a national sport, and Sharif had been virtually alone in his party for holding back criticism of him.
But the newly powerful Chaudhry is just as fearsome an opponent. The Supreme Court has reopened old corruption cases against Zardari and some of his allies, and threw out an amnesty that shielded hundreds of powerful Pakistanis from prosecution. Zardari's supporters argue that he is impervious to the proceedings because he retains immunity as president.
On Saturday, Zardari had clashed with Pakistan's chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, over the appointment of a judge to the Supreme Court. The disagreement set off alarms in the capital, Islamabad, with Pakistani news media speculating that it was a fight Zardari - a weak, unpopular president - would lose.
But Wednesday night, Zardari withdrew his choice, and submitted a candidate whom Chaudhry did not oppose. Pakistan's prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, a member of Zardari's party, said in a speech to parliament that the government made the decision in the interests of stability in Pakistan.
Chaudhry became a national symbol after former President Pervez Musharraf removed him. He gained more popularity through his role in a national protest march against Zardari, who did not immediately reinstate him after he became president.
But the chief justice's recent actions have prompted criticism from some of his closest allies, including the head of Pakistan's most important human rights organization, who say he is using his popularity for politics.
The latest row was short, but prompted strong words from Zardari's main political opponent, Nawaz Sharif, who attacked Zardari as "the biggest threat to democracy." Attacking Zardari has become a national sport, and Sharif had been virtually alone in his party for holding back criticism of him.
But the newly powerful Chaudhry is just as fearsome an opponent. The Supreme Court has reopened old corruption cases against Zardari and some of his allies, and threw out an amnesty that shielded hundreds of powerful Pakistanis from prosecution. Zardari's supporters argue that he is impervious to the proceedings because he retains immunity as president.
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