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Judge quits over Pakistan furore

From Syed Mohsin Naqvi

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LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani Superior Court judge resigned Monday to protest President Pervez Musharraf's suspension of Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry earlier this month, according to court sources and the judge's staff.

With his resignation, Justice Jawad Khawaja joins a lower court judge, who also stepped down to express his displeasure.

On March 9, Musharraf suspended Chaudhry, accusing him of misusing his powers. Chaudhry was subsequently placed under house arrest.

Pakistanis, including attorneys, were staged nationwide protests in outrage at the the arrest, prompting a major police crackdown.

Chaudhry was appointed to the court by Musharraf in 2005, but recently started exercising independence from the government in a number of cases involving the disappearance of terror suspects and human rights activists.

Last week, Pakistani police used rubber bullets and tear gas to subdue a crowd gathered outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad shortly after Chaudhry arrived for a hearing.

His next hearing will be on Wednesday.

Musharraf's critics accuse him of intimidating the judiciary ahead of crucial elections and a vote in parliament to extend his rule later this year.

Musharraf seized power in a military coup more than seven years ago and dissent from those in public life is rare.

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