Musharraf admits errors

The crisis in Pakistan judiciary snowballed today with a Lahore High Court Judge and six judges of the lower judiciary quitting their posts as President Pervez Musharraf admitted committing mistakes on the issue but ruled out emergency or deployment of army to tackle the situation.

Making up with Geo TV whose offices were raided last week, Musharraf appeared on the channel’s programme Kamran Khan Ke Saath and admitted that his government had made “some mistakes” in the filing of the presidential reference containing allegations against Chief Justice Iftikar Muhammad Chaudhry. He also said the attack on Geo TV was “stunning” and a “conspiracy”.

“The general elections will be held on time and neither emergency will be clamped nor the army will be called,” Musharraf said in the interview. Contrary to reports that he was trying to distance himself from the decision to suspend the CJ, Musharraf said he was duty-bound to take action on a reference sent by the Prime Minister.

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“There are legal responsibilities which I have to fulfil. If the reference was being sent by Prime Minister, I am duty bound to analyse and take action on it,” he said.

Six civil judges and magistrates submitted their resignation in Sindh province to protest Chaudhry’s ouster.