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International jurists condemn

GENEVA: The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) condemned Pakistan's military government on Thursday for "grossly interfering" in the judicial system by ordering top judges to take an oath of allegiance to its rule.

The Geneva-based group, composed of about 45 international jurists aiming to defend the rule of law, also urged the military junta which took power in a coup last October to return to constitutional and democratic legitimacy.

Its statement echoed that of Pakistani lawyers issued earlier in the day in Karachi.

ICJ expressed concern about Chief Justice Saeed-uz-Zaman Siddiqi and five other judges of the Supreme Court who lost their jobs on Wednesday for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to emergency provisions underpinning military rule.

"The ICJ and its Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) condemn the measures that have been taken against these judges whose stance has been that of respect for constitutionalism, the rule of law and the highest ideals of their profession and duty to the nation," it said.

"The ICJ and CIJL firmly condemn the cynical manoeuvre by the military junta led by General (Pervez) Musharraf to attempt to gain legitimacy in such an unconstitutional way."-Reuters