LAHORE, Nov 11: Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has rejected allegations levelled against him and higher judiciary by President Gen Musharraf during his press conference on Sunday.

“If there was any proof of corruption against me, why so many other judges of the superior judiciary have been removed through an unconstitutional act?” he asked.

In a statement given to a TV channel, Justice Chaudhry said that in fact an independent judiciary was not acceptable to Gen Musharraf because he wanted not only to get himself elected as president but also to manipulate the next election to form a government of his choice.

“Election manipulation is not possible under an independent judiciary,” his statement said.

He said the government had been edgy over cases relating to president’s dual office, contempt of court in the deportation case of Nawaz Sharif, missing people and Islamabad farm-houses and proceedings against the land mafia.