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| India-Pakistan |
| Islamist anger over Hindu judge |
| 2007-03-24 |
| Some have pointed out that the CJ is, ex officio, head of the Sharia court. Having a non-muslim in this position is thus objectionable to them. Ironically, Judge Bhagwandas is the only judge in Pakistan to hold a Master's degree in Islamic Jurisprudence. His recent pilgrimage to various sites in India just adds fuel to the flames ATTEMPTS to resolve Pakistan's judicial and political crisis were in doubt last night when a religious extremist organisation representing the al-Qa'ida-linked Lashkar-e-Toiba terror group warned that it would not tolerate the appointment of a Hindu chief justice in the Islamic country. The warning from Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Lashkar-e-Toiba's powerful "patron" organisation and public front, came only hours after the Government in Islamabad announced that the highly regarded Hindu judge Rana Bhagwandas, the Supreme Court's only non-Islamic judge, would be sworn in later today as acting chief justice. The move is seen as a critical step in trying to find a way out of the turmoil that has gripped the country following attempts by President Pervez Musharraf to sack chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. But it is highly provocative to religious zealots and last night, with Jamaat-ud-Dawa leading a backlash among Islamic fundamentalists against the appointment of Justice Bhagwandas, all bets were off that a resolution to the crisis was imminent. There were fears that hardline Islamic political parties might start a campaign against the scholarly and erudite Hindu judge, further adding to the chaos besetting the beleaguered judicial system. Courts have been paralysed as lawyers have led street protests against the sacking of the chief justice, and more trouble is expected on Monday when misconduct charges are brought against Justice Chaudhry. Justice Bhagwandas's anticipated appointment as acting chief justice has been seen as the only hope of breaking the dangerous deadlock over moves to remove the chief justice. Adding to the President's problems, Justice Chaudhry was reportedly preparing to tour Pakistan's main cities to address bar associations and law societies on the crisis. |
| Posted by:John Frum |
| #1 Again, Perv is making a small risk to diminish the power of the Islamists. A very crafty move, in that being a master of Sharia jurisprudence, this Chief Justice will be able to justify everything he does with strong precedent, instead of the typical whimsy found in Sharia courts. Of course the Islamists are very opposed to this, as they would be to any real expert in the law, because much of what they do is done based in loopholes and intentionally bad interpretations of law. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-03-24 13:36 |