Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to imprison Supreme Court judges last year was the beginning of the end of Musharraf’s unchallenged rule, said Carnegie Visiting Scholar Frederic Grare in an interview on BBC World. Now, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s has freed the judges.
But, said Grare, different factions of the ruling coalition have yet to decide whether or not the judges will be restored to office. That issue is crucial, because a restored Supreme Court would likely rule that Musharraf’s election last fall was unconstitutional.
Some in Islamabad have floated a deal whereby the judges would be restored under the condition that Musharraf remains President. Grare said that scenario is unlikely, since Musahrraf would probably try to divide the ruling coalition, form a partnership with the Pakistan People’s Party, and eject the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz from power.
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