ISLAMABAD, March 27: Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, along with some of the deposed judges of the Peshawar High Court, met PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari at the latter’s residence here on Thursday to offer condolences on the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“The meeting was only meant to offer condolences on the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto,” former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmood told reporters outside the Zardari House, dispelling an impression that the meeting was linked to the issue of restoration of deposed judges.

But despite his denial that the visit had anything to do with the issue of reinstatement of judges, eye-brows were raised by the 45-minute meeting, with former chief justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui suggesting during an interview with the DawnNews, that it would have been better for him (Justice Iftikhar) to avoid meeting Mr Zardari, especially at a time when the issue of restoration judges was at a crucial stage.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Naseer Ahmad Chaudhry said that although the stated reason of the meeting was to condole the death of Ms Bhutto, there might be “more to it than meets the eyes”.

Instead of such meetings, he suggested, parliament should be allowed to debate the issue of deposed judges.

Deposed judges of the PHC Chief Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Shahjehan also attended the meeting besides SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Raza Rabbani and Naveed Qamar.

“How could the (deposed) chief justice ignore the botched attempt of Ms Bhutto on Nov 10, 2007, to visit him (Justice Iftikhar) at his official residence in the then besieged judges’ colony?” Mr Aitzaz Ahsan said, while talking to newsmen after the meeting.

Justice Tariq replied in the affirmative when asked if the code of conduct for judges allowed such meetings.

The activities of Justice Iftikhar on Thursday included a meeting with a six-member delegation of US congressmen, led by John F. Tierney, who heads the National Security and Foreign Affairs sub-committee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Mr Ahsan said it was meant to discuss the constitutional amendments made during the emergency rule clamped by President Pervez Musharraf as the then chief of the army staff on Nov 3.