Issue and Opponent: In 2007, President Musharraf suspended the chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, of the Supreme Court who had challenged Musharraf’s control of the judiciary. Chaudhry challenged the legality of Musharraf’s dual role as president and army chief. To sideline Chaudhry, Musharraf claimed that the chief justice had misused his office and dismissed him. However, Musharraf’s action was largely considered as an attempt to curtail the Supreme Court’s increasing independence by the public and yet another way of undermining democratic values.
Dilemma Action: On March 16, 2009, the Lawyers’ Community had given the call for a nationwide ‘Long March.’ Many political parties, like the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Group) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami, gained the support of opposition leader Nawaz Sharif. The march went from Karachi to Islamabad, a total distance of 1500 kilometers, to demand the reinstatement of a Supreme Court Chief Justice and other judges ousted from office by former President Pervez Musharraf. The march began with some 50,000 participants but, by its end, the final estimated number was 500,000 in total. This four-day Long March included lawyers across political divides, coalitions of political parties, and pro-judiciary groups. Supporters of the ‘restoration of judges’ participated in the Long March despite a ban imposed on protests and rallies under Section 144 by the government. By its conclusion, it was marked as the largest rally ever in the city.
Outcomes: Though President Musharraf resigned, his replacement, President Zardari, had promised to reinstate the chief justice. Zardari did not keep with their promise to reinstate the Chief Justice within 30 days of his administration. Ultimately, he was met with multiple pressures to concede to the lawyer’s demands. In 2009, the government of Pakistan agreed to restore the deposed Supreme Court chief justice on March 21. This result led Nawaz Sharif to call off the long march protests.