ISLAMABAD, Nov 25: The government on Sunday said all deposed judges including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry should leave their official accommodation in the Judges Colony till November 30.

“All deposed judges should leave their official accommodation till November 30 and return to their own houses,” caretaker interior minister Lt-Gen (retired) Hamid Nawaz told mediapersons at a function in Liaquat Gymnasium.

Before this, the ministry’s spokesman Brig (retired) Javed Iqbal Cheema had said the government had allowed all deposed judges to move to their hometowns or keep their official houses as far as the law permitted them to do so. He claimed that none of the deposed judge was under house arrest and they were free to go back to their homes. The official said according to the law the deposed judges could stay in their government accommodations till one month or so.

It is for the first time since the removal of judges and imposition of emergency in the country that the government has asked judges including the deposed CJ to leave their official houses.

However, lawyers were of the view that even after going back to their homes, the deposed judges would not be allowed to move out and would remain under virtual house arrest.

They said the government wanted to send all deposed judges of Supreme Court including Justice Chaudhry to curtail their media coverage and provide official accommodation to newly appointed judges of the apex court. The Judges Colony has been under siege since the imposition of emergency in the country on November 3.

The colony has been surrounded by police, and a heavy contingent of security personnel has been deployed outside the residence of the former CJ.

Justice Chaudhry on Sunday made the second attempt to go outside to proceed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to inquire about the health of senior lawyer Munir A. Malik who is suffering from renal disease under detention.

He had also negated the government claims on Wednesday (November 21) that all judges removed under emergency were free to move and go back to their hometowns by trying to go out of his official residence. However, the government did not allow him to do so.

Since the imposition of emergency rule, many demonstrations have taken place outside the Judges Colony and now the government may have realised that without sending all the deposed judges to their hometowns the wave of protests and demonstrations could not be minimised.