New Pakistani Prime Minister Frees Judges

Pakistan's new prime minister ordered the release from house arrest of the country's former chief justice within minutes of coming to power yesterday, driving home how rapidly President Pervez Musharraf's authority is ebbing.

Shortly after he was elected by a thumping majority by the new parliament, Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the release of about 10 judges, headed by Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who have been illegally detained at home since November 3.

The Islamabad police had already received the message and lifted the barbed wire from around the judges' homes less than a mile away. Activists flooded towards Chaudhry's house, some scaling the low walls of what had officially been termed a sub-jail less than an hour earlier. The judge stood at the balcony with his wife and three children and addressed the raucous crowd squeezed into his garden. "I do not have words to thank you all," he said as fistfuls of petals filled the air.

It was Chaudhry's first public appearance in almost five months. But he said the fight for a free judiciary was not over. "We must keep our efforts focused for a bright future for Pakistan for the rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution," he said.

Supporters, many of whom have clashed with police armed with batons and tear gas over recent months, appeared dazed that their hero was finally free. "This is the victory of the people," declared Saeed Mehmood, a lawyer from nearby Rawalpindi. "I feel proud to be a Pakistani," said Athar Minallah, a confidant of the judge.

The government has promised to reinstate 60 judges fired by Musharraf, at least 10 of whom were under house arrest, within 30 days. A senior city administrator told state media that "all deposed judges are free to move".

The emotional scenes followed historic changes at the parliament where Gilani, an understated loyalist of the assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, was elected with 264 votes against 42 for Musharraf's man, Pervaiz Elahi.

"Democracy has been revived due to the sacrifice of Benazir Bhutto," he said in his first remarks as prime minister. Bhutto's son and political heir, 19-year-old Bilawal, watched from the visitor's gallery, wiping a tear from his eye.

Gilani's victory underlined the strength of the four-party coalition, which has the potential to become one of the most powerful civilian governments in Pakistan's history. For the first time Bhutto's Pakistan People's party has formed an alliance with its traditional rival, Nawaz Sharif, as well as a Pashtun nationalist party and a small pro-Taliban religious party.

Gilani got to work straight away, ordering the release of the judges and announcing that he would press for a UN inquiry into the assassination of Bhutto on December 27. Suspicions remain that he is holding the prime minister's seat warm for Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, who is likely to qualify for the job after a by-election due in May. But in a newspaper interview published yesterday Zardari insisted that Gilani would serve a full five-year term.

Musharraf's options look increasingly unappealing. The new government enjoys the two-thirds majority necessary to bring an impeachment motion against him. Even if he can stave off that prospect, Musharraf's powers are likely to be slashed by the government, reducing him to a largely symbolic role.

But Gilani's administration also faces big challenges, including a surge in militant attacks and a looming economic crisis. It must also solve the puzzle of Chaudhry, who is likely to demand his reinstatement as chief justice. But many figures in the new administration quietly allege that he has become too politicized, and fear that his return could spark a destructive confrontation with Musharraf.