Musharraf Opponents Celebrate Legal Victory

President Pervez Musharraf's grip on power weakened suddenly yesterday when Pakistan's supreme court ruled that his suspension of the chief justice was illegal and ordered an immediate reinstatement.

Lawyers and civil society activists whooped with joy after the landmark verdict in favour of Muhammad Iftikhar Chaudhry - the first time in Pakistan's 60-year history that a civilian has challenged a military leader in court and won.

"This is a defining moment for our country - the first time we have true liberty," said Naseer Ullah Khan, a black-suited lawyer on the courthouse steps, where men embraced, shouted and chanted "go, Musharraf, go".

Supporters rushed to Mr Chaudhry's house, where he simply said: "Thank you. Pray for me." Celebration rallies erupted in several cities across the country.

Gen Musharraf said he would respect the verdict. "The president has stated earlier that any judgment the supreme court arrives at will be honored, respected and adhered to," his spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, told the state press agency.

Expecting a compromise ruling, analysts were surprised by the totality of the lawyers' victory. "Sixty years of history taught people that this wasn't possible," said a commentator, Ayaz Amir. "Now all that has been swept aside. It's almost hard to believe."

Mr Chaudhry, a stubborn judge with a tendency to make rambling speeches, became an unlikely national hero after Gen Musharraf tried to fire him last March.

A protest movement led by angry lawyers quickly ballooned into a countrywide pro-democracy campaign. Hundreds of thousands of people came on to the streets for rallies where they showered rose petals on to Mr Chaudhry's car and shouted anti-military slogans.

Gen Musharraf's support plunged in early May after supporters sparked violence at a rally in Karachi that left 40 people dead.

Yesterday's ruling has jeopardized his controversial plans for a fresh five-year term of office. A few days ago Musharraf declared that he would seek re-election under the current parliament - which is dominated by his supporters - this autumn. But now that plan looks certain to be challenged in the supreme court - which will be headed by a wildly popular judge the general has accused of corruption and ineptitude.

A veteran civil rights activist, Asma Jahangir, said there was now a "clear divide" between civilians and military in Pakistan. "Not only should Musharraf resign, I think he owes this country an apology," she said. "The excesses of this government must be brought to book."

Another potential winner from yesterday's verdict is the exiled opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, who described it as one of the most remarkable judgments in the history of Pakistan. The legal protest movement had become a "struggle against dictatorship", she said in a statement.

Gen Musharraf's political headaches are further complicated by an alarming domestic security threat. More than 285 people have died since July 3, when the start of the siege of the Red Mosque in Islamabad triggered a violent backlash from militant Islamists. Three civilians and a soldiers were killed in the latest suicide attack in North Waziristan yesterday.

The violence has also touched the chief justice's supporters, with a bomb at an Islamabad rally last Tuesday killing 18 people.

Gen Musharraf has vowed to defeat the extremists, deploying hundreds of extra soldiers to North-West Frontier Province. His government is also trying to resurrect a peace deal with militants in North Waziristan that collapsed last weekend.

But tension is rising with his key ally, the US, where policymakers started a public debate on the merits of launching military strikes against al-Qaida targets inside Pakistan this week.

Yesterday a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Pakistan could not accept any "indiscriminate action" on its soil. "Whatever counter terrorism action is to be taken inside Pakistan, it will be taken by our own security forces," she said.

This week Gen Musharraf ruled out imposing a state of emergency, but fears persist that he may resort to drastic action to prolong his rule.

"The government should desist from any unconstitutional measures to override the supreme court's verdict," said Ali Dayan Hasan, of Human Rights Watch. "What is at stake now is not just that the judiciary is independent, but that Musharraf tolerates it."