Sharif calls off 'long march' after Pak reinstates sacked CJ

The simmering political crisis in Pakistan today blew over with the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif calling off the long march after government buckled and announced the reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court Chief Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The denouement came early this morning with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announcing government's decision to reinstate Justice Chaudhry dismissed by then President Pervez Musharraf in 2007 emergency.

Former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who defied house arrest yesterday and was on a long march along with his supporters for a mass sit-in outside Parliament here, called off the protest hailing the government's announcement as a victory.

Gilani's announcement today came on top of government's decision on Saturday to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's order barring PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics.

"In keeping with the promise made by the President and me, I announce the restoration of all deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, to their posts," Gilani said in a televised address to the nation.

Chaudhry will assume the post of Chief Justice once current incumbent Abdul Hamid Dogar retires on March 21. "A notification to this effect is being issued now," Gilani said.

Sharif lead thousands of protestors through the streets of Lahore yesterday in a massive show of strength, adding to the isolation of the Pakistan People's Party and its co-chairman, President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani invited the PML-N to work with all other political forces for the implementation of the 'Charter of Democracy', a document signed by the PML-N and PPP in 2006 to strengthen democracy in the country.

He directed provincial governments to lift prohibitory orders banning rallies and protests that were imposed when the lawyers' movement and opposition parties launched the 'long march' on March 12. Gilani also directed authorities to release all persons arrested during the protest.

The Prime Minister recalled that slain PPP chairperson and former premier Benazir Bhutto and President Zardari had both pledged to reinstate Chaudhry.

However, this could not be done when the PPP formed its government after last year's general election as Dogar had already been appointed as the Chief Justice, he said.

He noted that Zardari had also said that no sitting judges would be disturbed while reinstating the deposed judges. However, as Dogar was retiring on March 21, Gilani said he and the President had decided the time had come to fulfil the promise to reinstate Chaudhry.

The stand-off between Zardari and Sharif had escalated into a major political crisis that threatened to destabilise Pakistan at a time when the government is grappling with a growing Taliban insurgency and economic problems.