JURIST - Paper Chase: Pakistan government reappoints 8 judges removed by Musharraf

[JURIST] The Pakistani government reinstated eight judges in the Sindh High Court [official website] in Karachi on Wednesday. The judges had previously refused to take office until the reinstatement of all 60 judges dismissed last year [JURIST report] by former President Pervez Musharraf [JURIST news archive], including former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry [JURIST news archive]. Rashid Razvi, head of the Karachi bar council, told AFP [AFP report] that the appointments were a "conspiracy" intended to undermine support for the legal profession's campaign [AHRC backgrounder] for total reinstatement. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) reportedly plans to reappoint another 16 judges [PakTribune.com report] in the near future. The Times of India has more.

On Monday, Pakistan's coalition government dissolved [JURIST report] after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif withdrew his Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) party over the failure to reach an agreement with the PPP to reinstate the ousted judges. Musharraf announced his resignation [JURIST report] from the presidency earlier this month, largely to avoid impeachment for the judges' dismissals and other alleged abuses of authority.

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