Judges purged by Pervez Musharraf to protect his disputed presidency will return to their posts "with dignity, respect and honor," a leader of Pakistan's new government said Friday.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's forecast came a day after Pakistani leaders reported progress in talks on how to restore the judges, signaling they had fended off a crisis that threatened to break up the month-old coalition government.
They did not announce a final accord on the matter, but details of the talks were promised by Friday.
Musharraf ousted some 60 senior judges _ including then Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry _ when he imposed a state of emergency in November to stop legal challenges to his re-election as president.
But the crackdown only deepened his unpopularity, and his allies were routed in February parliamentary elections that propelled his opponents to power.
The issue is critical to the survival of Pakistan's month-old civilian government, which has begun to ease the U.S.-backed president's military confrontation with militants.
It could also determine Musharraf's ability to cling to his already diminished powers, more than eight years after he ousted Sharif's government in a military coup.
Leaders of the two biggest parties in the coalition emerged from marathon negotiations in the Persian Gulf state of Dubai late Thursday. Both sides insisted they had made progress on the judges issue and that the coalition would survive.
However, they did not announce a final accord and said Sharif would only give details of their discussions after a party meeting in his home city of Lahore on Friday.
"We have decided to restore the judges" through a resolution in parliament, Sharif told reporters on his arrival in the early morning at Lahore airport.
The justices will "go back to the courts with dignity, respect and honor," he said.
Sharif has pushed particularly hard for the reinstatement of the judges, stirring speculation that he sees Chaudhry as an ally in a drive to oust Musharraf. The judges could re-examine complaints that Musharraf was ineligible for another five-year term.
But the party of assassinated ex-leader Benazir Bhutto, which leads the coalition government, has sought to link their return to broader reforms that could crimp Chaudhry's tenure and powers.
Chaudhry had shown an unusual degree of independence, investigating complaints that the government's spy agencies were holding opposition activists secretly under the cover of fighting terrorism.
Musharraf accused the chief justice of corruption and conspiring against him.
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower and political successor of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, meanwhile, said Chaudhry and other judges were "playing politics" and had failed to deliver justice to him during the years he spent in jail on unproven corruption charges.
The coalition was founded on the promise of restoring the judges through a parliamentary resolution by the end of April. Its leaders sought Thursday to play down the significance of the missed deadline.
The Dubai talks "sorted out many issues and the alliance partners are on the same wavelength and on the same page," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Zardari's party.
Reports of a split between Zardari and Sharif "to the point of endangering their alliance are exaggerated and untrue," he said.
A breakup of the government could destabilize Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism.
Washington has expressed support for the country's return to democratic government after acknowledging its alarm about a spate of suicide bombings, including one during the deadly attack on Bhutto in December.
But U.S. officials also caution that the new administration's efforts to strike peace deals along the Afghan border could ease the pressure on Taliban and al-Qaida militants and allow them to plan more attacks in Afghanistan and the West.
Sharif: Pakistan judges will return 'with dignity'
Judges purged by Pervez Musharraf to protect his disputed presidency will return to their posts "with dignity, respect and honor," a leader of Pakistan's new government said Friday.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's forecast came a day after Pakistani leaders reported progress in talks on how to restore the judges, signaling they had fended off a crisis that threatened to break up the month-old coalition government.
They did not announce a final accord on the matter, but details of the talks were promised by Friday.
Musharraf ousted some 60 senior judges _ including then Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry _ when he imposed a state of emergency in November to stop legal challenges to his re-election as president.
But the crackdown only deepened his unpopularity, and his allies were routed in February parliamentary elections that propelled his opponents to power.
The issue is critical to the survival of Pakistan's month-old civilian government, which has begun to ease the U.S.-backed president's military confrontation with militants.
It could also determine Musharraf's ability to cling to his already diminished powers, more than eight years after he ousted Sharif's government in a military coup.
Leaders of the two biggest parties in the coalition emerged from marathon negotiations in the Persian Gulf state of Dubai late Thursday. Both sides insisted they had made progress on the judges issue and that the coalition would survive.
However, they did not announce a final accord and said Sharif would only give details of their discussions after a party meeting in his home city of Lahore on Friday.
"We have decided to restore the judges" through a resolution in parliament, Sharif told reporters on his arrival in the early morning at Lahore airport.
The justices will "go back to the courts with dignity, respect and honor," he said.
Sharif has pushed particularly hard for the reinstatement of the judges, stirring speculation that he sees Chaudhry as an ally in a drive to oust Musharraf. The judges could re-examine complaints that Musharraf was ineligible for another five-year term.
But the party of assassinated ex-leader Benazir Bhutto, which leads the coalition government, has sought to link their return to broader reforms that could crimp Chaudhry's tenure and powers.
Chaudhry had shown an unusual degree of independence, investigating complaints that the government's spy agencies were holding opposition activists secretly under the cover of fighting terrorism.
Musharraf accused the chief justice of corruption and conspiring against him.
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower and political successor of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, meanwhile, said Chaudhry and other judges were "playing politics" and had failed to deliver justice to him during the years he spent in jail on unproven corruption charges.
The coalition was founded on the promise of restoring the judges through a parliamentary resolution by the end of April. Its leaders sought Thursday to play down the significance of the missed deadline.
The Dubai talks "sorted out many issues and the alliance partners are on the same wavelength and on the same page," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Zardari's party.
Reports of a split between Zardari and Sharif "to the point of endangering their alliance are exaggerated and untrue," he said.
A breakup of the government could destabilize Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S. war on terrorism.
Washington has expressed support for the country's return to democratic government after acknowledging its alarm about a spate of suicide bombings, including one during the deadly attack on Bhutto in December.
But U.S. officials also caution that the new administration's efforts to strike peace deals along the Afghan border could ease the pressure on Taliban and al-Qaida militants and allow them to plan more attacks in Afghanistan and the West.
