Following massive protests the Judiciary regains its backbone!
Frenzied speculation that the President and his cabal will quit!
Democracy may be Restored!
The bad news: This is not about the USA where the Roberts' Court tramples on hard won freedoms, the President pardons enemies of the state, the Attorney General is a limp puppet of the Executive rather than the chief law enforcement officer, and where the Vice-President can spy on whom he chooses and destroy documents at will.
But for those who love demoracy this is still great news -- from Pakistan.
President Pervez Musharraf’s attempt to remove Pakistan’s chief justice received a setback Monday when a Supreme Court judge rejected the government’s evidence, and ordered a sweep of courts and judges’ homes for spying devices.
A nation where democracy has been suspended. Where an unpopular military dictator propped up with Western support has sought to fundamentally destroy the constitution in his quest for unquestioned power. Intelligence agencies spy at will. And one lone Chief Justice who had resisted was suspended from office on trumped up charges.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan finally summoned the backbone to question the government's evidence:
On Thursday last, the government had asked the Supreme Court to deal with the entire case after all, and at the same time filed details of the allegations. But on Monday, the government withdrew the application and apologised after complaints from Chaudhry's lawyer and the Supreme Court judges hearing the case. Presiding judge justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday ordered the government to pay costs of 100,000 rupees (about 1,660 dollars) for filing the "scandalous and vexatious" application
Naturally, the judiciary gained its backbone from massive street protests:
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of the nation's chief justice has sparked several months of street protests in Pakistan. The outcry against General Musharraf is the strongest public challenge to his presidency since he took power in a bloodless coup eight years ago. It also comes as Pakistan prepares for legislative elections.
Now it looks like the people may win big - there is frenzied speculation that "President" Musharraf may call elections and plan his exit.
Musharraf may quit army post in Oct: paper
LONDON, July 1: Dissatisfaction with President Musharraf’s rule is growing and he faces the prospect of having to step down in October when his current term as Army Chief ends, The Sunday Telegraph has predicted.
The ST said Gen Musharraf is hoping to strike a deal with the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to ensure his re-election as president from the outgoing parliament.
The deal will allow her to return from exile and become prime minister in return for the support of her opposition Pakistan People's Party.
But the newspaper quoted Benazir as saying on Saturday that it was difficult to be sure what the president would do next.
"The situation is fluid, uncertain and unpredictable," she said.
"The military dictatorship has undermined the constitution, the civil institutions and the parliament. It is one-man rule and hence there is an unpredictability of what might happen."
You think something like this can happen in the USA - the Congress gets a backbone, the Judiciary figures out the Constitution, the ruling Junta quits and democratic elections follow?
You think the Americans will take to the streets over something as trivial as democracy?