'Pak suspended judge a symbol of defiance against military rule
Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry since Musharraf, the head of the army, suspended him on March 9 on misconduct charges.
"This man represents the aspirations of the people and gives them an outlet for pent-up emotions against the establishment," said I.A. Rehman, a senior figure from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a private organisation.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "Judges have been dismissed in the past by military rulers in Pakistan, but there has never been such a movement," he said.
A crowd of more than 20,000 people greeted Chaudhry over the weekend in the eastern city of Lahore, applauding him thunderously when he said that "the era of dictatorship is over."
The popular sentiment crystallising around the judge is viewed as the most serious threat to Musharraf's rule since the general seized power in a coup in October 1999.
"Musharraf has lost more ground since he took action against the chief justice and the events since then would show he can never retrieve that space," political commentator Najam Sethi told AFP.
Opposition parties have also thrown their weight behind a campaign launched by lawyers against what they describe as Musharraf's desire to subjugate the judiciary.
The government has responded by denouncing Chaudhry for transforming from a judge into a politician.
His 20-month tenure as chief justice was marked by bold decisions, such as overturning a deal to sell a state-run steel mill and admonishing the authorities over the "disappearance" of scores of people in the "War on Terror."
"Justice Chaudhry was proactive in taking up issues which related to the people, like the forced kidnapping of scores of people allegedly by intelligence agencies," Rehman said.