LAHORE, Sept 13: Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa says Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry cannot be restored to the position of the chief justice of Pakistan even if President Asif Zardari desires so. The AG who was in Lahore on Saturday was quoted by a TV channel as saying that former president Pervez Musharraf had appointed the present Chief Justice of Pakistan, Abdul Hameed Dogar. Underlining the legality of the appointment, Khosa said the very fact that the political parties initiated the move to impeach the president served as an indicator that he was serving as the head of the state at that moment.

The AGP said the process of restoration of deposed judges had not been completed. He added a number of judges had themselves contacted the government for their reinstatement.

He said the PPP-led government had started bringing the deposed judges back to courts after all the coalition parties refused to bring amendments to the constitution for the judges restoration. — Reporter