Syed Hammad Raza - Re-Instatement of The Chief Justice

Re-Instatement of The Chief Justice

On March 24, 2008, the new Pakistani PM Yousaf Raza Gillani ordered Chaudhry's release from house arrest. However, he did not restore the chief justice. Later three agreements for the restoration of the judges were signed by Asif Ali Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, to whom Gillani also belongs, and Nawaz Sharif, the chairman of the PML-N, the chief opposition party. But the chief justice remained unrestored. This led to a revival of the lawyers movement for the restoration of judges.

In October 2008, Chaudhry visited the Supreme Court building for the first time since his arrest. He vowed to be reinstated as Chief Justice.

The Lawyers' Movement announced a "long march" for the restoration of the judges, especially Chief Justice Iftikhar from 12 to 16 March 2009. The government of Pakistan refused to reinstate the judges and declared section 144 in effect in three of the four provinces of Pakistan thereby forbidding any form of gatherings of the "long march". Arrangements were made to block all roads and other means of transport to prevent the lawyers from reaching the federal capital, Islamabad. Workers of the main political parties in opposition and the lawyers movement as well as other known perons from the civil society were arrested. Despite these efforts, the movement continued and was able to break through the blockade in Lahore en route to Islamabad in the night between 15 and 16 March 2009. A few hours later, on the morning of March 16, 2009 by the prayers of the poor who were given justice by the respected justice, the prime minister of Pakistan restored Chaudhary Iftikahar as chief justice of Pakistan through an executive order address to the nation after which the opposition agreed to stop the "long march".