NEW YORK, March 19: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Sunday demanded that Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry should be honourably restored to his original high position in order to defuse the unprecedented political and judicial crisis in the country.

“If (General) Pervez Musharraf can apologise to the anchors of Geo TV after the police attack – and I appreciate that – then he can also apologise to the chief justice,” she told a community meeting held in Brooklyn (New York) to mark Pakistan Day. Local leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League-N attended the function.

The chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party said the action against the chief justice had touched the nation’s “raw nerve” and the movement that it had ignited was not going to stop. In fact, it was growing and had spread from Khyber to Karachi, putting the regime under pressure.

She said her party fully backed the movement, pointing out that PPP lawyers were in the forefront of the processions and demonstrations seeking restoration of the chief justice and the strengthening of judiciary.

“If the judiciary becomes strong, Pakistan will be rid of the curse of martial laws,” Ms Bhutto said, reaffirming that she would return to Pakistan soon.

Justice Chaudhry was removed because of his refusal to be a “rubber stamp”, she noted, pointing that he was expected to rule on several key cases this year, including one on whether Musharraf could retain his role as head of the army while also serving as president.

The PPP chief strongly condemned what she called police violence against lawyers engaged in peaceful demonstration to protest the action taken against the chief justice.

She gave graphic details of “brutality”, saying that on Saturday police raided the Lahore High Court premises, where lawyers were holding a meeting, in armoured personnel carriers as if they were targeting Kargil.