By DPA
Islamabad : A leading international human rights group Thursday urged Pakistan to release deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other senior judges held under house arrest since President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule early this month.
“It is disgraceful that Musharraf is punishing chief justice Chaudhry, who challenged his power grab, by keeping the judge’s family under house arrest,” the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
“Musharraf should end his ugly vendetta against the judges and free Chaudhry, his family and the other judges immediately,” said Brad Adams, Asia director of the group.
The Supreme Court was set to rule on Musharraf’s disputed Oct 6 re-election as president when the military rule sacked the judges by proclamation of the state of emergency Nov 3.
The authorities have since then confined Chaudhry’s family, including a teenaged daughter and a seven-year-old son, and at least 10 other senior judges to their houses.
Musharraf has reconstituted the apex court with the induction of new judges loyal to him, and the general received a verdict in his favour on his re-election Thursday.
The new judges dismissed the sixth and the last petition filed by a rival presidential candidate against Musharraf’s re-election Oct 6 by pakistani parliament, court spokesman Arshad Munir said.
Human Rights Watch reiterated its call to the international community, particularly Musharraf’s chief backer US, to press the military ruler for “the immediate restoration to office of all detained judges, including Chaudhry.”